What's Happening in New Westminster, BC…

The Royal Canadian Theatre Company will be bringing its rendition of the classic suspense story The 39 Steps to New Westminster this spring.

The play is a more comedic take on the story, which began as a John Buchanan novel in 1915 and was adapted into multiple film versions, most memorably the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock classic. The story stars a Canadian civilian who must stop a ring of spies in 20th century Britain.

The stage version features just four actors playing over 150 characters, and it finds a way to re-enact all of the Hitchcock film’s memorable set pieces. Handling the duties for the Royal Canadian Theatre Company will be Nick Preston in the lead role of Richard Hannay, with Amanda Huxtable, Ben Francis and Liam McCulley playing everyone else.

New Westminster will host two “relaxed performances” involving less intense lighting and more lax audience rules to accommodate for individuals with sensory or intellectual disabilities, as well as three more conventional shows. The New West stop will come following three shows in Surrey.

The Royal Canadian production is directed by Mark Carter based off Patrick Barlow’s script, which premiered in 2005 and has since been performed around the world, including Broadway and London’s West End. Hit plays like this are often revived by theatrical groups at all levels, using tools like poster printing and social media to advertise performances.

The Royal Canadian Theatre Company’s version of The 39 Steps will play at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster between March 31 and April 2, with an additional relaxed performance taking place on May 8.