sent from: London, UK. destination: West New York, New Jersey, USA

“The 39 Steps”, the theatrical adaptation of John Buchan’s spy story, carefully balances old-fashioned theatre, vintage war-era story, classic farce and just enough post-modern winking at the audience to please anyone. Adapted by Patrick Barlow, whose work I’ve loved since “All The World’s A Globe” (classic radio comedy from 20 years ago), he cleverly introduced a comedic tone to the proceedings. I saw the play in 2007 when it first opened, and it was entertaining but it didn’t stick with me as much as I think it will now after seeing today’s performance. I can’t say if it has changed or if I have. I still remain amazed at the ability of the theatre on a small stage, a simple set, a few lighting and sound effects, to evoke a far larger world than could possibly be shown if they actually tried.