The 39 Steps at Progress Theatre (until Saturday, November 26)

Liz Crosthwaite • Published 18 Nov 2011 09:30 0 Comments

I could perhaps leave this review at the succinct and apt comment of my companion as we left The Progress Theatre, namely that it was the best amateur production she had ever seen, but I should probably also tell you about the barrage of laughs that come thick and fast in this funny-bone-tickling reworking of the originally rather sombre The 39 Steps.

A spy thriller turned wonderfully absurd, some segments of the play were almost Python-esque, with whip-sharp dialogue, ridiculous accents, dashing moustaches, cross-dressing, puns, wordplay and effective use of simple special effects keeping the Progress Theatre giggling throughout. With just four actors playing a barrage of characters, only Owen Goode, sticks to one role, playing the dashing, quintessentially stiff upper lip Englishman caught up in a bizarre spy plot in 1930s Britain. Laura Sherman takes convincing turns in the role of a deliciously dramatic German spy, then a downtrodden Glaswegian housewife, and finally an uptight and pouting English gal. But the real stars of this fantastic show are Christopher Hoult and Craig Daniels, whose consistently on-the-mark double act won us from the off, as they switched in a blink from playing English coppers, to marauding underwear salesmen; from an eccentric hotel-owning Scottish couple to fast-talking Palladium variety show hosts. Their winning formula relied on perfect timing and an impressive ability to keep straight-faces in even the most silly of roles. The 39 Steps is a comic triumphant for the Progress Theatre team, and I'd encourage, nay, urge you to see this production before its run ends on Saturday, November 26. The Progress Theatre is located on The Mount, off Christchurch Road, Reading. Visit www.progresstheatre.co.uk or call 0118 960 6060 to book tickets.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 18 Nov 11

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