Depending on which of the four film versions or the original book by John Buchan of the Thirty-Nine Steps that one believes, the thirty-nine steps are an international criminal group, a set of steps leading up to either Big Ben, down to a boat moored in the Thames in London, to a beach at Broadstairs in Kent or from an oubliette down to a quay somewhere in Scotland. So you can see why I get a little confused between all of these versions where Richard Hannay is played by Robert Donat, Kenneth Moore, Robert Powell, Rupert Penry-Jones and of course in the book he is … himself! I confess that my favourite versions are the latest (Rupert Penry-Jones) and the original Hitchcock film starring Robert Donat.

However, it is a comic theatrical adaptation of the Hitchcock version (where Hannay is played by Robert Donat) written by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon for a cast of four actors which premiered in 1995 at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire that we saw tonight at the Theatre on the Lake in Keswick. At least it nearly was – the version we saw was an adaptation by Patrick Barlow of that adaptation. Not only a lovely location, a wonderful Theatre but a fantastic production as well. It is no wonder that the original version of this production in Broadway received six Tony Award nominations, winning two—Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design with the London show winning an Olivier in 2007 and two Tony Awards in 2008. The play also won the Drama Desk Award, Unique Theatrical Experience.

I would say that the show is probably the best thing I have ever seen and I have never seen four people obviously having so much fun performing for two hours twenty minutes – not counting the interval. If you ever get a chance to see this, I cannot recommend it highly enough!