The 39 Steps

Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork Ends May 15 8pm €30/€25 021-4501673; Wexford Opera House May 19-22 8pm €25 053-9122144; Olympia Theatre, Dublin May 25-Jun 5 8pm €31 01-6793323

First it was an adventure romance, penned in 1915 by John Buchan, in which a mining engineer uncovers a spy ring. Then it was a thriller, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, which departed routinely from the novel to introduce new scenes, a streamlined plot and a love interest. And now it’s a knowing and playful theatrical adaptation, which has already generated 28 international productions in four short years.

Paying tribute to both sources, the original title of Patrick Barlow’s adaptation was

John Buchan’s The 39 Steps

, but, including breakneck renditions of each scene of the movie, it was later re-titled

Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps

. In truth, though, it’s a slave to neither.

The rave reviews its productions have received in London and New York suggest something more indebted to the mechanics of theatre and the self-reflexive humour of today. As hero Richard Hannay – replete with stiff upper lip and pencil moustache – encounters dastardly deeds, double crosses and devastating femme fatales, a cast of four fearless actors plays upwards of 139 roles, juggling costumes and assembling set-pieces out of suitcases and furniture in the space of 100 minutes.

It may now be an international franchise (the show that reaches Cork, Wexford and Dublin is the West End regional touring version), but its success has been built on fun, guts and ingenuity, each step of the way.

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Iron

The Complex, Smithfield, Dublin