"The 39 Steps"

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Stage Center Theatre at Northeastern Illinois University will present “The 39 Steps,” a melodrama adapted from a 1915 novel by John Buchan and 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock.

Acted with only a cast of four, this 2005 adaptation by Patrick Barlow centers on Englishman Richard Hannay, who inadvertently embarks on a chaotic adventure full of narrow escapes after trying to help a female spy. When he wakes up to find her dead in his apartment, he flees from the police and an espionage organization, desperately trying to find the truth. A nationwide manhunt is filled with drama including an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance.

Performances will be held at the Stage Center Theatre, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 10; Friday, July 11; Saturday, July 12; Thursday, July 24; Friday, July 25; and Saturday, July 26.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased through the Stage Center Theatre Box Office at (773) 442-4274 or online.