The 39 Steps

ERIC CLAVELL (Clown 1) is thrilled to return to Hampton Theatre Company after having last been seen in Mauritius. Regionally he has appeared in productions of Angels in America, Clybourne Park, Disgraced, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Lyons along with many others. He would like to thank Catherine for the opportunity. Thankoo!

KEVIN CLYNE (Clown 2) is grateful to HTC and Cathy for this opportunity. Previous endeavors include Murder on the Orient Express, The Seafarer, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The 39 Steps, Rabbit Hole, Next Fall, The Rainmaker, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Romeo & Juliet, August: Osage County, and The Laramie Project. He has written several one- minute plays for the Gi60 and Gimme A Minute play festivals. He sends his love to Cathy and their unique collection of offspring.

ADAM MOSEBACH (Richard Hannay) Hampton Theatre Company debut! Tours: Anne of Green Gables (Int’l), From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Nat’l). Avery Fisher Hall: Hart to Hart (A Tribute to Moss and Kitty) with Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, and Robert Goulet. Regional: 1776, Twelve Angry Men, 42nd Street, A Christmas Carol, Pocahontas, Damn Yankees with Andre DeShields and Felicia Finley. LI Premieres: The Toxic Avenger, Prince and the Pauper. He would like to thank Christina and Annika for being his whole heart, and the amazing team at 39 Steps that he gets to have fun with every day! www.AdamMosebach.com

ANNA TATISHVILI (Pamela/Annabella/Margaret) is a Georgian-American actress and a recent graduate of the William Esper Conservatory in Manhattan. She is thrilled to be making her stage debut in The 39 Steps and is grateful to Catherine, the cast, and crew for welcoming her into this amazing production. Anna extends her heartfelt thanks to the William Esper community for their mentorship and support. She would also like to thank her Deda (mom), Mama (dad), and sisters, Keta and Nini, for their unwavering love and encouragement. A very special thank you to her husband, Ross, for always supporting her dreams and caring for their one-year-old.

PATRICK BARLOW is a prominent English actor, comedian, and playwright, perhaps best known for his Olivier Award-winning and long-running stage adaptation of The 39 Steps, based on the novel by John Buchan and the movie by Alfred Hitchcock. His work is characterized by a “low-fi” theatrical style that often uses a small cast to portray dozens of characters in epic, fast-paced stories. Besides his version of Lew Wallace’s Ben Hur, his Olivier-nominated adaptation of A Christmas Carol has played off-Broadway and in London’s West End, while his four-person adaptation of The 39 Steps has played in more than 40 countries worldwide, winning Olivier, Helpmann, Moliere and Tony Awards and making Patrick the most performed playwright in America for 2012-’13. Most recently, his rewriting of John Milton’s Comus has played to critical acclaim at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. He is also celebrated in the UK for his two-man theatre company, National Theatre of Brent, as well as numerous screenwriting credits.

JOHN BUCHAN (1875–1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada. He began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction as a youth, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing more than 100 books, of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practiced as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist and then left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927. In 1935, King George V appointed Buchan as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.

CATHERINE CLYNE (Director/Props) is thrilled to be directing for HTC after having directed Boeing Boeing here in March of 2025. She brings with her over 25 years of experience both on stage and behind the scenes. Favorite directing credits include–The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Seafarer, The Rainmaker, Rabbit Hole, Mauritius, Murder on the Orient Express, Moon Over Buffalo, The Tin Woman, Rumors and An Inspector Calls among others. Catherine is a contributing writer to the Gone in Sixty Seconds One MInute Theater Festival performed annually at the Tank in Manhattan. She is grateful to this enormously talented cast, incredible production team and to the HTC board for giving her the opportunity to direct one of her all-time favorite plays. She sends her love to Kevin and the kids. Thank you for supporting live theatre!

GEORGE A. LOIZIDES (Producer/Props) is a veteran of HTC having acted in 13 productions and directed 12 productions, most recently last season’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He has been an actor and director for more than 55 years. He studied acting and directing at the HB Studio in NYC. For 27 years he was Director of Theater Arts for Ward Melville High School where he taught Acting and Directing and directed 81 productions. He is Vice President of the Board of Directors, a member of the Artistic Committee and Administrator of the Diana and Peter Marbury Scholarship. Thanks to Cathy Clyne for creating comic mayhem on stage. Break-a-leg to the wonderful cast and crew.

MEG SEXTON (Sound Design) has been with Hampton Theatre Company for five seasons filling a variety of roles including set design, scenic carpentry, sound design, and projection design. She has previously worked as the Education Manager at Bay Street Theater as well as the Grants Manager & Marketing Coordinator at Patchogue Theatre. Currently, she is the Director of Marketing at The Suffolk, the Development Assistant & Content Editor at Patchogue Arts Council, and a scenic carpenter for National Event Connection.

KATHY LOIZIDES (Costumes) is thrilled to be working with Cathy Clyne again on the Hampton Theatre Company’s production of The 39 Steps. She has costumed many productions for Playcrafters Theatre Company of Bellport and Ward Melville High School. Thank you to Teresa LeBrun and HTC for this opportunity. Break a leg to George, cast and crew.

CAROLINE McCURDY (Stage Manager) is happy to be returning to HTC and working with this wonderful cast and crew. Caroline has worked in the Long Island theatre community for over 20 years and has stage managed such shows as Boeing! Boeing!, Laramie Project and The Odd Couple. She is also a producer and actor and is currently president of Modern Classics Theatre Company. Thank you once again to Cathy and George for the opportunity.

SAMMI ROONEY (Lighting/Sound Tech) Sammi Rooney is a NY based lighting designer and performer, and is beyond excited to be working with Hampton Theatre Company! They are currently getting their BFA in Musical Theatre at Five Towns College, where they also serve as Master Electrician. Past lighting design credits include Angels In America Part 1, Nunsense, and Ordinary Days. They have also board operated numerous shows in the past. They hope you enjoy the show!

STEVE ROGERS (Lead Carpenter) For the past 25 years, Steve has designed and built sets and served as lighting designer for Ward Melville High School’s annual musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia, and many more. He recently retired after a 31-year career as a Technology Education teacher and as Head Coach of the Ward Melville FIRST Robotics Team. To the cast and crew of The 39 Steps — break a leg!

KIERAN X. QUINN (Set Design/Carpenter/Painter) has worked as a furniture contractor in New York City for the past 13 years while pursuing his passion for art and illustration. He is currently a full-time carpenter for an event company and illustrating comic books. He is living the dream with his wife and toddling baby boy. Excited to be behind the scenes with HTC, Kieran looks forward to building more sets and tackling new creative challenges.

KELLY WERESNICK (Lighting Tech) has worked with HTC on previous shows including The Thanksgiving Play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Boeing Boeing, Now and Then, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, The Portuguese Kid and I DO! I DO! She studied technical theatre with a concentration in theatre lighting at Suffolk County Community College. She was the lighting designer and board operator for Cry Baby, A Catered Affair, Spamalot, The Wizard of Oz and Anything Goes at North Fork Community Theater in Mattituck. Thanks to her parents and sister Colleen and Uncle Billy for the drive and inspiration to pursue technical theatre.

ROBERT REEVE (Sound Engineer) is an accomplished sound engineer with extensive experience in the live theatre industry. With a strong background in audio technology, Robert has worked on a wide variety of theatrical productions such as Boeing Boeing, The Thanksgiving Play, and the musical I DO! I DO!, contributing his expertise to mixing and technical management. In addition to his theatre work, Robert has also contributed to live events and concerts, further enhancing his versatility in the field. His commitment to excellence in sound design and his ability to adapt to any project, no matter the scale or complexity, has earned him a reputation as a respected sound engineer.

THADDEUS C. PLEZIA (Backstage Crew) is a graduate of Suffolk County Community College (Associates in Science – Theatre), and is a member of the board for South Shore Theatre Experience as Theater Coordinator. Credits: Spike (Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike) The Lecturer (Reefer Madness), Bart Madden (Take a Number Darling), Adam (The Shape of Things), Ken (Red). Classical Credits: Cornwall (King Lear), Jacques (As You Like It), Valentine (Two Gentlemen of Verona). Film: Ryan (Waning Poetic), Curt (It’s Love Bro). Directorial Credits: Suburbia by Eric Bogosian, Where We’re Born by Lucy Thurber, Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan, Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Twelfth Night. RIP Matt Lightsey, forever in the spotlight.

Hampton Theatre Company’s “The 39 Steps” Delivers Nonstop Laughs and Brilliant Performances

T.J. Clemente hamptons.com

Seeing The Hampton Theatre Company’s opening night production of The 39 Steps is a purely joyful night of live theater. Director Catherine Clyne has her cast delivering a highly entertaining show that produces belly laughs, applause, and continuous enjoyment. Ms. Clyne always creates magic when she directs a show. Don’t miss The 39 Steps at the historic Quogue Community Hall.

It was adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan, the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, and from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. Playwright Patrick Barlow is widely known for his imaginative comic writing and for reshaping classic material into boldly theatrical entertainment.

This successful production of “The 39 Steps” is produced by George A. Loizides. This is the last production of the HTC season, and I recommend you go see it before it closes on June 7. The four-member cast plays numerous roles, changing characters seemingly effortlessly mid-scene. The production is led by Adam Mosebach as Richard Hannay. He is genuine and eases through the comedic moments and movements with grace and vigor. He also plays the sensitive moments in an audience-winning way. He is a special talent.

Then there is the magic of Anna Tatishvili playing Annabella Schmidt, Margaret, and Pamela. Ms. Tatishvili has the “it” factor. She charms as she weaves her talents throughout the show. A former professional tennis player, she is an excellent actor because she has a stage presence and an energy that elevates any scene she is in. Ms. Tatishvili enchants, provokes, woos, and does it all uniquely.

Kevin Clyne plays multiple roles as Clown 2 and is phenomenal. He is a physical actor, using fluid body movements to deliver a range of comedic movements that elicit a bevy of instantaneous laughs and applause. He ignites his moments in scenes throughout the show.

Eric Clavell, wonderfully plays multiple roles as Clown 1. He and Kevin Clyne literally shine in so many scenes that you might put them up as stars in this production. Mr. Clavell is an HTC alum.

Kudos to the HTC behind-the-scenes team. The marvelous Set design is by Kieran Quinn. The flawless Lighting Design is by Sebastian Paczynski. The clear Sound Design is by Meg Sexton, and the fabulous Costume Design is by Kathy Loizides.

It always takes a village effort to create an evening of theater. Therefore, one must take the time to thank the efforts of: Carpenter – Steve Rogers. Sound Engineer – Rob Reeve. The Stage Manager – Caroline McCurdy. The Backstage Crew – Thaddeus Plezia. Props – Catherine Clyne and George A. Loizides. The Box Office folks are Cat Bracksmayer and Beth Fine. Production Graphics-Joe Pallister. Lighting & SOUND Tech handled by Kelly Weresnick and Sammi Rooney. (Personal special thanks to Terry Brennan.) Thank you to everyone at HTC for your efforts.

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Traverse ‘The 39 Steps’ With Hampton Theatre Company

Lee Meyer – 27east.com

Two of this year’s big Tony nominees lampoon more serious source material. One, “Titanique,” is a camp, explicitly queer jukebox musical that asks the question, “what if Celine Dion had been on the Titanic and witnessed the events of the movie but almost everything is a gay joke?” The other, “Schmigadoon,” is a lovingly mocking homage to the Golden Age of Broadway, in which a modern couple find themselves in a magical land of musical theater that they’re stuck in until they find true love. These shows demonstrate that, when done right, parody or spoof can make for great entertainment.

The Hampton Theatre Company’s production of “The 39 Steps,” running through June 7 at Quogue Community Hall, falls into the same send-up category. Directed by Catherine Clyne, this madcap parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller of the same name makes for a hilarious, wonderful night of theater.

Those who have seen the film will recognize the broad strokes of the plot almost immediately. Richard Hannay (Adam Mosebach) is a Canadian man disillusioned with his boring life in London until he meets a femme fatale, Annabella Smith (Anna Tatishvili), who begs him for help as she hides from the police. When Annabella explains that she’s a spy and looking for a mysterious professor in Scotland, Hannay agrees to help her — until she is murdered in the middle of the night. Hannay, the prime suspect, escapes into the night and finds himself on a treacherous journey to Scotland, where he meets a large number of quirky characters, from a farmer and his much-younger wife to the aforementioned professor, who is not what he seems.

Along the way, he also finds love with Pamela (also Tatishvili), an innocent bystander who reluctantly joins him on his adventure. Eventually, Hannay uncovers the secret of “The 39 Steps,” a secret Annabella tried to tell him before her death.

It’s a lot of plot, and playwright Patrick Barlow clearly loved how convoluted it was when he rewrote this early screen blockbuster into a four-person show. The stage adaptation features three men and one woman, all of whom play multiple roles except for Hannay, who remains onstage for most of the action.

In the Hampton Theatre Company’s production, the actors are more than up to the challenging and fast material. Eric Clavell and Kevin Clyne, credited as “Clowns” in the program, play tons of characters, male and female, and change quickly, sometimes without leaving the stage. Clavell and Clyne have excellent, madcap chemistry and play the story’s various supporting characters like they’re in a Monty Python comedy. Mosebach plays it mostly straight in the role of the heroic, but pompous, Hannay and finds humanity in the chaos, while Tatishvili — in her stage debut — expertly plays the three different women with whom Hannay crosses paths. All four actors are pitch-perfect and play off each other like they’ve been doing this show for years.

With so many locations and different scenes, Kieran X. Quinn has constructed an attractive unit set made up mostly of simple elements like ladders and chairs, helped along by lighting cues designed by Sebastian Paczynski. All of this results in some clever effects, with some scenes performed with the actors in silhouette.

The production is so slick and fast-paced that, in lesser hands, things could be confusing. Luckily, any confusion seems intentional — exposition dumps are treated as absurdly as they should be, and each actor plays their various characters with such aplomb that it’s never unclear what is happening or who is playing who. Often, Clavell and Clyne feel like they’re in a play of their own as they romp across the stage embodying their various roles. This makes their frequent collisions with the relatively play-it-straight Mosebach and Tatishvili all the more hysterical and satisfying.

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‘The 39 Steps’ at Hampton Theatre Company Has Big Fun with a Classic Hitchcock Spy Story

By Marc Horowitz, Dan’s Papers

The Hampton Theatre Company closes its 2026 season with a raucous and thoroughly enjoyable new production of The 39 Steps.

While the show pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1935 spy thriller of the same name, it couldn’t be more different than the film in terms of tone and temperament – and that’s exactly the point.

Rendered in all of its quirky glory by director Catherine Clyne and HTC’s estimable cast and crew, playwright Patrick Barlow’s adaptation turns Hitchcock upside down and inside out, mixes in heavy doses of quintessentially British farce (think Monty Python meets Benny Hill), and plays it all for maximum laughs.

This stage version has been eliciting chuckles, titters and all-out guffaws from theatergoers for two decades. In 2006, Barlow’s adaptation of John Buchan’s novel had a successful run on London’s West End, where it won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. The show eventually found its way to Broadway in 2008, snaring six Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. HTC’s interpretation of Barlow’s farce draws its inspiration from that well-received American production.

Kudos to HTC for tackling this show. While it’s very funny and very clever, The 39 Steps is by no means an easy play to bring to life.

For one thing, several members of the four-person cast are required to play multiple roles – lots of them – sometimes switching personas (and genders) live on stage at lightning speeds while the audience struggles to keep up.

In the play’s most frenetic moments, you might find the same actor alternating between portraying a detective, a gangster and an innkeeper’s wife in the space of a single minute of stage time.

While newcomer Anna Tatishvili – the lone female in the cast – steps into the shoes of no fewer than three pivotal characters, the most extreme shape-shifting duties (and the lion’s share of the comedic heavy lifting) fall to Eric Clavell and Kevin Clyne.

Credited simply as Clown 1 and Clown 2, respectively, Clavell and Clyne are not only big fun to spend time with on stage, they also genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves as they slip in and out of dozens of characters (and blow through numerous regional English accents) in rapid-fire succession.

Tatishvili, a native of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, makes her stage debut in this production. A charismatic presence and a dynamic performer, Tatishvili is tasked with finding the inflections and rhythms first of a seductive foreign agent, then as a Londoner with an ever-shifting sense of right and wrong, and finally, as a Scottish farmer’s wife with a thirst for adventure. While she occasionally struggles with the intricacies of dialect, Tatishvili is eminently watchable and compelling in all three of her roles.

Adam Mosebach also shines as Richard Hannay, a suave everyman who’s going through something of an existential crisis when he finds himself swept up in a twisted Hitchcockian world of international intrigue. Mosebach is a talented comedic actor, but he serves as more of a straight man in this production, leaving plenty of room for Clavell and Clyne’s larger-than-life antics and Tatishvili’s multi-layered vulnerability.

Mosebach, who is also a newcomer to the HTC stage, isn’t required to play multiple characters like his fellow cast members. But he’s the titular star of the show and his performance anchors the action, helping to keep the narrative at least somewhat tethered to a reality the audience can follow.

The plot is almost beside the point here. The production gets its verve not from the intricacies of the story, but rather via its stagecraft, which includes broad slapstick and physical comedy, lightning-fast costume changes, minimalist props and knowingly absurd theatrical tricks.

That being said, the play certainly does have a plot – and it’s more than loosely based on Hitchcock’s cinematic thriller.

A bizarre night in London begins with a trip to the theater and ends with Hannay bringing a mysterious woman who may or may not be an international spy back to his flat. He wakes up to find the woman dead and his face splashed across the newspapers as the suspected killer.

Trying to clear his name and uncover the spy ring, Hannay travels across Scotland while being pursued by police officers, enemy agents and villains of all stripes. Along the way he encounters his share of eccentric characters, good samaritans and women with complicated motivations.

The central mystery concerns the 39 steps of the title, a covert espionage organization attempting to smuggle crucial British military secrets out of the country before war breaks out. As Hannay gradually pieces together clues involving coded messages, shadowy meetings and a master spy with a seemingly photographic memory, things get goofier – and more fun – by the minute.

There’s also an absolutely dandy set piece that pays homage to the legendary Cary Grant airplane chase scene in North by Northwest, another classic in the Hitchcock canon.

While the main plot points involve deadly serious topics like murder and mayhem and the fate of the Western World, HTC’s production operates with its tongue firmly in its cheek. It’s often silly and purposely light as a feather – and therefore a perfect two-hour escape from the complications and contradictions of the real world.

FROM SUNRISE HIGHWAY (ROUTE-27):
Sunrise Highway (Route 27) to exit 64S (Rte. 104 to Quogue). Rte. 104 South (approx. 3 miles) to Montauk Highway (Rte. 80). Right onto Montauk Highway to light at Otis Ford (1 mile). Left onto Jessup Avenue. 1/2 mile to theater (on right). FROM MONTAUK HIGHWAY (ROUTE-80):
Montauk Highway to light at Otis Ford in Quogue. South onto Jessup Avenue. 1/2 mile to theater (on right).

PARKING: There is limited street parking around the theater as well as a parking lot that can be entered just north of the Quogue Community Hall. WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: A handicapped accessible entrance is located on the right (north) side of the building. Please use the driveway on the north side of the theater and ring the bell marked HTC Handicapped at the ramp entrance to the building and a volunteer will assist you; or have a member of your party notify us on arrival at the box office if you’d like to use this entrance. If a member of your party requires a wheelchair in the theater, please reserve one seat at the end of a row. ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES: The theater does not have assisted listening devices at this time.