FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2013  CONTACT:Alan Bryce artisticdirector@centerstagetheatre.com 253 661 1444 Press Photos:http://www.centerstagetheatre.com/  Centerstage presents THE 39 STEPS Loving parody of the Hitchcock classic movie  Run Dates: September 27th – October 20th; Press Night: Friday September 27th, 8pm  Playing both the West End of London and Broadway, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, is brilliantly re-created as the smash hit Olivier Award-Winning Best New Comedy. This blissfully funny show follows the adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil mustache as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and of course, devastatingly beautiful women. The 39 Stepsis adapted from the Novel by John Buchan and the film by Alfred Hitchcock. The original concept and production of a four-actor version of the story was by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. Patrick Barlow rewrote this adaptation in 2005. What is often forgotten about the genesis of the story is that John Buchan was a paid propagandist for the British Government during the First World War, and the original novel was part of the British strategy to paint as unsavory picture of their enemy as possible. When Hitchcock made his movie in 1935, the Nazis were on the rise in Germany and it was easy to re-imagine the foe as a genuinely more evil antagonist. Hitchcock also added the seminal scenes on the Forth Bridge and the ‘upgraded’ relationships with beautiful women…so lovingly lampooned by the play. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, another plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two actors – the ‘clowns’ - play every other character in the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. Quick changes aren’t the half of it. Sometimes the two clowns have to play multiple characters onstage at the same time! THE CAST Leading the exceptionally talented crew of actors as the hero, Richard Hannay, is Daniel Wood, who has also appeared at Centerstage in Lend Me A Tenor, Pinocchio and Enchanted April. Marianna de Fazio recently played the female lead in Jeeves In Bloom at Taproot Theater. This distinguished cast is rounded out by Vince Brady, who played the title role in King Lear for Greenstage this past summer. And last but not least is Erik Gratton who appeared as Buttons in last Christmas’ Cinderella here at Centerstage. The 39 Steps is directed by Cynthia White, who has stage many shows here at Centerstage. Cynthia was previously Literary Manager at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and Managing Artistic Director of the Globe Theatre in Odessa, TX.  CENTERSTAGE …is Federal Way’s resident Theatre Company. It was founded in 1977 and for the past fourteen years has produced shows at the Knutzen Family Theatre on the shores of Puget Sound. Artistic Director Alan Bryce is committed to producing “innovative, accomplished productions of popular work and for new work with the widest possible audience appeal.” Hits like Always…Patsy Cline or Ain’t Misbehavin’ fall into the former category. Exciting new works include: a musical version of the Dickens’ classic Nicholas Nickleby; Robin Hood - the first full production of a Tom Meehan and Martin Charnin show; Alan Bryce’s Nightmare of a Married Man which won the Tacoma News Tribune’s “Best New Play” Award; and the pantomimes, including the wildly popular Sleeping Beauty, by Paul Hendy. Perhaps the most ambitious project undertaken by Centerstage was the premier musical Carl Sagan’s Contact,which also won the News Tribune’s “Best New Play” award.  In April 2009, the City of Federal Way awarded Centerstage the contract to manage the Knutzen Family Theatre; saving both the city and theatre company $60,000 per year.   ATTACHED: Daniel Wood as Richard Hannay. Photo Credit: Laura Campbell     END