University Drama Group Presents ‘The 39 Steps’

“The 39 Steps” is a suspenseful comedy of an ordinary man who is seeking a frivolous night out at the theater and is suddenly lured into a world of mystery by a woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London causing a nationwide manhunt. This is a hysterical portrayal of a man on the run from wrong accusations with a series of misadventures and good old-fashioned romance.

If you thought escaping the web of an international spy conspiracy was tough, try staging this theatrical performance of said conspiracy with a cast of only four.

Adapted by Patrick Barlow, “The 39 Steps” is a two-time Tony award winner and features a talented cast of undergraduate students under the direction of Bobbi Kaye Kupfner, president of the MSU Billings Drama Committee. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay. An actress plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two other actors play every other character in the show — heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. Don’t blink. This frenetic playcalls for lightning-quick-changes and for actors to occasionally play multiple characters at once.

Performance dates are February 1-4, and 8-11, at 7:30 p.m. each night. “The 39 Steps” is in Liberal Arts Room 620 on the MSU Billings Campus, 1500 University Drive in Billings.

Tickets are $12 for general admission, and senior and student tickets are $8. Advance reservations for this production are strongly recommended, since there are only 54 seats per performance. Call 406-208-1145 to make reservations. Show reservations will be held until 7 p.m. on the show date. Unclaimed tickets will be released at that time. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. on performance nights.