QPAC AND KAY & MCLEAN PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH WARNER BROS. THEATRE VENTURES ORIGINALLY PRODUCED BY KAY & MCLEAN PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY
PROMOTION KIT CONTACTS
PRODUCERS
ANDREW KAY AND LIZA MCLEAN
Producer LIZA MCLEAN KAY & MCLEAN PRODUCTIONS – Andrew Kay and Liza McLean E: [email protected] M: +61 418 781 033 Director Simon Phillips Playwright Carolyn Burns W: northbynorthwesttheplay.com Dramaturg Simon Phillips Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Set Design Simon Phillips & Nick Schlieper For a copy of the script and information about the Costume Designer Esther Marie Hayes rights and the technical information related to touring Composer Ian McDonald the English production of North By North West or Audio Visual Designer Josh Burns alternatively staging the production in your theatre Production Photographer Jeff Busby, Australia please contact Liza McLean Production Photographer Nobby Clark, UK Screenwriter Ernest Lehman Featured Original Film Music Bernard Herrmann QPAC PUBLICITY
Publicist : Cindy Ullrich Developed by Kay & McLean Productions with Simon Brace yourself to be whisked across America, from the E: [email protected] Phillips and Carolyn Burns, North By Northwest had skyscraper canyons of New York City to the Black Hills its stage premiere in 2015 with the Melbourne Theatre of South Dakota, following advertising executive Roger P: 07-3840-7589 Company at the Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre O Thornhill in his desperate quest to clear his name. Melbourne. In 2016, in association with Arts Centre Everything you will recall from the original Hitchcock Melbourne, Kay & McLean Productions presented North film, from drunken car rides down twisting roads, a love By Northwest for a second time in Melbourne, on the affair on a train, to the famous cliff hanger ending on stage of the State Theatre. Mount Rushmore is recreated live on stage. How this is achieved? Well that would be ruining the surprise! You’ll need to come to the theatre to see for yourself. The production was a hit with audiences and critics alike and so plans commenced for the role out of the live stage play of North By Northwest for the international Just as in 1959, when Alfred Hitccock stretched the market. technical resources of cinema to make the greatest chase movie of all time, Simon Phillips and the creative team continue to push the technical resources of theatre Andrew Kay and Liza McLean of Kay & McLean to present Carolyn Burn’s thrilling stage adaptation. Productions are delighted to have joined forces with Theatre Royal Bath Productions to remount the stage play with a British acting company as part of the 2017 Summer Season in Bath under the Artistic Directorship of Jonathan Church. The short season in Bath was an opportunity to showcase the production for the UK, West End and touring market ongoing. Following this season, the Bath production travelled to Toronto and played a six week run as part of the 2017 Mirvish subscription season at the Alexander Theatre, Toronto., showcasing for North America.
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH WARNER BROS. THEATRE VENTURES ORIGINALLY PRODUCED BY KAY & MCLEAN PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY 2017 REVIEWS
HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH✩ “SLICK, WRY, CLEVER!” “HITCHOCK’S GLAMOROUS “BRILLIANT A-GRADE “IT’S SLICK AND SMART….A HOOT!” Daily Mail UK THRILLER!” ENTERTAINMENT.” The Times, UK Daily Mail, UK Herald Sun, Australia “CLEVER, ...SUSPENSEFUL, … HHHH✩ HHHH✩ “PLAYFUL, SMART AND INGENIOUS” ENTIRELY SILLY” “THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING.” “PASTICHE NOT PARODY…THE The Guardian, UK The Star, UK The Age, Australia CHIEF DELIGHT HERE IS SEEING THE FILM MADE OVER” “I WAS DELIGHTED, AS WAS THE “CHARMING….ENTERTAINING AND The Financial Times, UK REST OF THE BATH AUDIENCE, SILLY IN THE EXTREME.” “GLEEFULLY IMAGINATIVE.” BY THE WIT OF WHAT PHILLIPS The Globe, UK The Australian, Australia “ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT….. AND HIS TEAM HAVE DONE... WE INGENIOUS… MIND BOGGLING.” NOT ONLY SEE HOW THE TRICKS “A SUREFIRE GOOD NIGHT OUT” “INGENIOUS ….A RECREATION OF Broadwayworld, UK Limelight Magazine, Australia ARE DONE, WE DELIGHT IN THEIR THE STYLISH THRILLER, BUT WITH INGENUITY” FILMIC DEVICES THAT ADD TO THE Michael Billington The Guardian, UK LIVE FUN.” Toronto Now, Canada
Production Photography Nobby Clark THE GUARDIAN 2017 REVIEWS STAGE DIRECTION: NORTH BY NORTHWEST TAKES HOLLYWOOD TO BATH THE THEATRE Michael Billington Wednesday 2 August 2017 18.00 AEST
Hollywood in its infancy raided the theatre to recruit actors, writers and directors. Many of its greatest geniuses, including DW Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles, were originally creatures of the stage. Theatre is today returning the compliment not merely by recruiting current movie stars but by becoming ever more cinematic. Robert Icke’s production of The Red Barn at the National was just like a film, with its cuts, dissolves and closeups of key images. As a lover of both theatre and cinema, I’ve always argued for their formal distinctness. I recall a doomed attempt by the RSC to stage Les Enfants du Paradis, which captured the theatricality of the original but not its physical bravura. Terry Johnson’s 2000 version of The For a start, they don’t conceal the fact we are watching Graduate, recently revived at West Yorkshire Playhouse, a re-creation of a film but rejoice in it. The great French struck me as a thin and synthetic fable without the critic André Bazin in 1951 wrote an essay on Theatre glitzy stylishness of Mike Nichols’ direction and the and Cinema in which he pointed out that cinematic haunting Simon and Garfunkel score. More recently we realism could be combined with theatrical convention: had Ivo van Hove’s production of Obsession, with Jude he cited the example of Olivier’s screen Henry V which Law, which took a masterpiece of cinematic realism by affirms the work’s stage origins rather than denying Luchino Visconti and turned it into a study in aesthetic them. Something similar happens here, in that Phillips refinement. and his co-designer, Nick Schlieper, constantly remind us of the work’s filmic source. They use the original Bernard Herrmann score. The set evokes the mechanical But I am beginning to waver in my belief in the Manhattan grid on to which Saul Bass’s credit titles separation of theatre and cinema. Earlier this year I were originally projected. On each side of the stage are caught Sally Cookson’s version of Fellini’s 1954 Oscar- recesses in which the actors deploy miniaturised models winning movie La Strada, which I found strangely filmed by a camera and projected on to an upstage moving. Obviously it couldn’t capture the film’s graphic screen: in one scene we see them rotating a tiny plastic portrait of postwar Italy with its desolate bomb sites, rock which is magnified to become the wall against scarred towns and lonely seaside shacks. What it did which the hero nearly collides as he drunkenly steers a convey was the story’s raffish, touring-circus milieu car along a hazardous cliffside road. and, through the performance of Audrey Brisson, the liberation of the waif-like Gelsomina from the grip of a travelling strongman. Catherine McCormack as Mrs Robinson in The Graduate at West Yorkshire Playhouse. Photograph: Manuel Harlan The cinematic influence on theatre goes further with a new stage version of North By Northwest, based on We not only see how the tricks are done, we delight in Hitchcock’s famous thriller, at the Theatre Royal Bath, their ingenuity. In adapting the movie, Carolyn Burns also in a Simon Phillips production first seen in Melbourne in reminds us that it owes its success as much to its writer, 2015. Ever since I saw it in a deserted Warwick cinema Ernest Lehman, as to Hitchcock. The auteur theory of in 1959, North By Northwest has been one of my all-time cinema persistently elevates the director above the favourite movies. How, I wondered, could you possibly writer but Lehman, in this story of a Madison Avenue replicate the famous aerial pursuit of Cary Grant or the ad man on the run after being mistakenly accused of celebrated climax on the carved presidential faces of murder, takes the plot of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps Mount Rushmore? And why bother, since the original is and brilliantly adapts it to the world of 1950s cold war easily available? But I admit I was delighted, as was the America. rest of the Bath audience, by the wit of what Phillips and Even the casting deliberately evokes the movie in that his team have done. many of the actors resemble the originals: Nick Sampson, for instance, has the craggy, professorial quality of Leo G Carroll as a shadowy CIA fixer. In one respect, Jonathan Watton as the pursued hero and Olivia Fines as the ambivalent Eve actually transcend their originals in that their intimate encounter in a train sleeping berth is far sexier than in the Hitchcock movie. They genuinely seem to lust after each other rather than, as Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint do, engage in bedroom banter. I am emphatically not saying the stage version of North By Northwest is better than the film, which is an imperishable masterpiece. But it is playful, smart and ingenious and it proves an important point: that, in adapting any work for another medium, it is far better to acknowledge its origins than to try and disguise them. Artistically, honesty is always the best policy. •North By Northwest is at the Theatre Royal Bath until 12 August. Box office: 01225 448844. Production Photography Nobby Clark THE TIMES THE FINANCIAL TIMES THE DAILY MAIL THE STAGE THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION FITS A CLEVER STAGING OF HITCHCOCK HIT THAT’S HEADING IN ‘CLEVERLY EXECUTED’ TOGETHER LIKE A SOPHISTICATED HITCHCOCK’S CLASSIC ONE DIRECTION... UP: WATCH MECHANISM AND IT’S A HHHH✩ HOOT HHHH✩ HHHHH Rosemary WaughAug 1, 2017
Quentin Letts HHHH✩ Video cameras are used to excellent effect, but the chief 2 August 2017 Simon Phillips’ production of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 Ann Treneman pleasure here is the play itself film North by Northwest cannily overcomes the obvious August 2 2017 hurdles of attempting to stage something so reliant on The question on everyone’s mind was surely: “How the Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film North By Northwest has planes, trains and automobile chases. hell do you adapt this for the stage?” The two most been brought to the stage in a quick, slick, wry, clever The stagecraft is nakedly on display; it’s a celebration of I won’t pretend I wasn’t sceptical. The original 1959 film, memorable sequences in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic production – the cheeriest show this summer. what theatre can achieve, rather than an attempt to ape one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best, contained one of the 1959 film are the chases. In the first, protagonist Roger Many recent plays have been suffused with pessimism a movie scene for scene. greatest chase scenes ever. Never has a crop-dusting Thornhill, an advertising executive being mistakenly but here, hooray, is an evening of unbridled aeroplane seemed so menacing as when it was tracking North by Northwest was one of the influences behind pursued as a secret agent, flees through an isolated entertainment. Matthew Weiner’s television series Mad Men. It’s easy to and buzzing Cary Grant, who played the main character field of maize from a crop-dusting, or rather machine- Hitchcock’s glamorous thriller becomes something more Roger Thornhill, as he ran through an Indiana cornfield. see why. It’s full of snappily suited ad execs and sultry gunning, biplane; in the climactic episode Thornhill and like a comedy thriller, with a measure of affectionate women – it’s the perfect American daydream. How could that happen on stage at the Theatre Royal his love interest clamber across the face, or rather faces, satire. Bath? of Mount Rushmore. Jonathan Watton is more youthful and self-assured as It honours the plot but at the same time sends up some How, indeed. I’m not going to spoil it, but, suffice it to dapper ad man Roger O Thornhill than Cary Grant was Not the sort of action easily reproducible in a medium- of the action scenes and the late Fifties fashion. in the role of the man caught up in a complex web of say, the special effects in this homage to Hitchcock’s sized Georgian playhouse. Director and co-designer comic thriller are very special indeed. The entire Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film North By Northwest has mistaken identity. In turn, Olivia Fines’ performance as Simon Phillips, who first staged this adaptation in his Eve Kendall owes more than a little to Marilyn Monroe production, which comes from the Melbourne Theatre erstwhile base of Melbourne, takes his twin cues from been brought to the stage in a quick, slick, wry, clever Company, fits together like a sophisticated watch production in Some Like It Hot – the pair’s rapport and camaraderie theatre and film respectively. As in that recent stage also brings to mind Billy Wilder’s comedy. mechanism. The play by Carolyn Burns, based on success based on another Hitchcock ”wrong man” film, The film is best remembered for a scene in which a crop- the screenplay by Ernest Lehman, is intrinsically The 39 Steps, the effects are made obvious, though this duster plane opens fire on Cary Grant’s Roger Thornhill, Dioramas and figurines manipulated by the performers interconnected with a supremely clever set by Simon North By Northwest neither sounds a note of cheerful a Manhattan advertising guy mistaken by baddies for an create a continually moving backdrop. Doll’s house Phillips and Nick Schlieper. making-do nor pokes fun at the material. This is pastiche, FBI agent. furniture stands in for auction wares, miniature trees It’s slick and smart, a film and theatre collaboration not parody. It follows Ernest Lehman’s screenplay Thornhill becomes the target of hitmen working for a zoom past outside the buffet car window and the that stops just short of pastiche because some of almost verbatim and uses Bernard Herrmann’s urgent shadowy foreign spy boss who wants to smuggle a top- famous crop duster plane is a matchbox model toy. the shadow-play and “action scenes” are works of musical score; there’s even a quasi-Hitchcock fat-bald- secret microfilm out of the United States. Yet missing among all the fun is any genuine art in themselves. You do not have to have seen the man cameo. The crucial element, though, is a technique As his fortunes spiral, Thornhill is seduced on an Hitchcockian suspense. The director’s pregnant pauses film to enjoy this, although it probably adds to your once standard in film, though now considered outdated. overnight train by a gorgeous blonde. are swapped for quick-fire banter and rapid scene appreciation of some moments, such as when a On each side of the stage is a little booth with a video changes. This is a homage to Hitchcock for a modern Hitchcockian figure appears in one scene, in a nod to the camera, in which chroma-key effects are created for He has a pint of bourbon poured down his throat and is audience likely more familiar with aesthetic of Mad Men director’s cameos. projection upstage: one booth works in blue-screen later stopped by traffic police. He causes mayhem at an than the intricacies of Hitchcock’s plot. As Eve says matte, the other in red. Tabletop models and pictures auction and ends up climbing all over the presidential towards the close, “this is silly.” To which Roger replies: “I Jonathan Watton, a young Canadian making his UK monument at Mount Rushmore. debut, has devilishly good fun as Thornhill, a twice- form both static and moving backgrounds; they even know, I’m sentimental.” divorced ad man who likes to live with a Gibson cocktail re-create the classic whirling-newspaper effect, and the One way and another, this is not an easy story to always to hand. In a case of mistaken identity, he ends Rushmore faces are provided by supporting actors in translate to the theatre. up being targeted by Russian thugs in a Cold War extreme close-up. Director Simon Phillips and playwright Carolyn Burns espionage tale. The resulting shenanigans are much However clever the staging, though, the chief delight get round that with various ingenious image projections enhanced by the suspiciously timely appearance of a here is in seeing the film made over. The principal and stage jokes, along with a multi-tasking cast who play femme fatale named Eve, played with sultry slinkiness by performers have invidious tasks: it is impossible not to scores of characters. Olivia Fines. (She was played by Eva Marie Saint in the keep recalling Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason Abigail McKern, Roddy Peters, a wonderfully rubbery- film.) and Martin Landau. But if they can’t reproduce their faced Nick Harris and others give us some terrific The onstage chemistry between these two adds much originals’ lightness of touch, Jonathan Watton and his vignettes. Miss McKern would make a fine Queen Mother sexiness to proceedings. It seems you don’t need to be fellows do strike that other lightness, of overall tone, one day. which balances the thriller element with such mastery. James Bond to find yourself saving a beautiful woman Hitchcock’s glamorous thriller becomes something more while negotiating some rather precarious manoeuvres, like a comedy thriller, with a measure of affectionate such as climbing down Mount Rushmore (and all on satire stage in Bath too). Sadly, I must report that the car-chase At the centre of it all is Jonathan Watton’s Thornhill, scenes, though entertaining, are not quite up to Bondian suited almost as handsomely as Cary Grant. standards. Gerald Kyd clenches his jaw muscles to terrific effect as You do feel as if this whole production is being done the villain and Olivia Fines – in a dress faithful to the film with a giant wink towards the audience, but there is – is excellent as the blonde seductress Eve. some real suspense amid the antics. Phillips also directs and it could do with a small trim because there are a few Some of the toy scenery in the projections looks like superfluous scenes. It just avoids being too clever and something out of Thunderbirds but that accentuates the some bits are so inventive that the audience broke into spirit of playfulness and melodrama. applause. It’s a hoot, basically, and could easily end up in The sentimental wit of the production values owes the West End. something to recent London theatre successes The Play That Goes Wrong and The 39 Steps and it would not surprise me if this show headed east by southeast to the West End.
Production Photography Nobby Clark WHATS ON STAGE STAGE TALK SWINDON ADVERTISER BRISTOL POST ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S THRILLER NORTH BY NORTH WEST AT BATH NORTH BY NORTHWEST IS NORTH BY NORTHWEST. THEATRE IS ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY THEATRE ROYAL BRILLIANTLY UNMISSABLE ROYAL, BATH SIMON PHILLIPS HHHH✩ HHHH✩ HHHH✩ HHH✩✩ Graham Wyles Gill Harris Alan King Kris Hallett 29 July 2017 31 July 1 Aug 2017 Nine times out of ten when a classic movie is The show makes no bones about its cinematic origins; THERE are some plays you go to see at the theatre transplanted to the stage a reasonable reaction would be indeed it wears them on its sleeve. Even as the which remind you why it’s worth going to the theatre - “Why bother?” It is a moment etched in the mind of all cineastes. In it, show gets going it uses the technique of placing the and North by Northwest is one of them. It is a switch which has sometimes worked well for a man wrongly accused of being a spy, Madison Avenue credits after a little preamble when the cast hold up, musicals – think of The Lion King, Billy Elliot or Sunset executive Roger O Thornhill (played in the movie by Cary This groundbreaking producion’s wit, sassiness and in scorecard fashion, letters that spell out production inventiveness simply could not be replicated on film. Boulevard – but not many non-musical dramas or Grant), is seen running through a field, a crop dusting details usually reserved for the centrefold of one’s comedies have been transposed successfully. plane in chase. Watching it on screen big or small, still Brought to the stage by Theatre Royal Bath Productions programme. It’s all done with a brio and wit that sets the So you might be entitled to shudder at the idea of feels, over 50 years later, an exhilarating reminder of tone for the whole show. There is even – remembering and Kay & McLean Productions, it adds new life to the what cinema at its peak can do. The stage version knows classic Hitchcock film staring Cary Grant. recreating Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 screen masterpiece as its origins – a cameo walk-on of a Hitchcock lookalike live theatre. the iconic lore it is competing against and goes in for during some toing and froing, which raised a laugh Canadian Jonathan Watton takes on the role of the something equally as dazzling. We see the hero standing from the obviously clued-up audience. In terms of its smooth, insouciant Roger O Thornhill and exudes all Top marks for bravery therefore to Theatre Royal Bath centre stage alone, the crop fields behind him. At the progenitors it owes as much to that same director’s 1935 the charm and mischief originally brought to the role by Productions for jointly staging this UK première which sides an actor manipulates a little model plane onto a film, The 39 Steps, with the theme of mistaken identity Grant. has been written by Carolyn Burns based on the original camera that then projects this onto the backdrop. It is and murky goings on in the world of international screenplay by Hitchcock and Ernest Lehman. clever and provides a couple of chuckles but, perhaps espionage (here transposed in time to the Cold War) And full credit too for a tour de force of technical inevitably, it does not cause the breath to catch indelibly leading to a countrywide chase, as any other ‘road’ story. trickery which uses models, film, animation and any imprinting the image into the brain. The Cold War is heating up and Thornhill finds himself Screenwriter Ernest Lehman’s delightfully improbable number of intricate gimmicks to re-tell the gripping tale Its a sequence that sums up Simon Phillips’ smart the victim in a case of mistaken identity, with well- of an advertising executive who is mistaken for a spy and plotting has been adapted for stage by Carolyn Burns dressed thugs insisting he is George Kaplan, and there and deliberately populist stage homage to Hitchcock. and director Simon Phillips, the latter having ‘got form’ finds himself at the centre of an international espionage Another stage take on one of Hitch’s films mined it ensues a plot involving spies, double agents, deceit and conflict. in adapting road movies for the stage with his previous, murder. for farce and played the West End for years in The 39 Olivier nominated, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The There are gems of cleverness as the story unfolds – Steps. This is a different beast, a comedy thriller with standout feature of this venture is the high tech/low tech The cast are to a man superb, bringing verve and like the lexicon of paper letters used to announce the its focus on the action. Like all classic adventure books nature of the back projections. These involve a live CCTV dynamism to the fantastically sharp and witty dialogue. production, a cameo appearance of a Hitchcock lookalike from the ‘50s, its plot whisks us from one exotic location feed of small toy-like models, operated by the actors, But the truly fantastic thing about this production is and real faces to serve as four US presidents on Mount to another, introduces us to an icy blonde, includes fist shot against blank screens and superimposed on pre- the set and the very staging of the play. Gleaming glass Rushmore. fights and shoot outs and features enough good suits recorded backgrounds. The result is a slightly surreal, panels serve as lifts, windows from skyscrapers, office Director Simon Phillips manages to create the illusion and splashes of scotch to satiate the appetite of anyone tongue-in-cheek background canvas, which reminded walls and a cinematic backdrop to recreate the famous who misses Mad Men. It is refreshing to watch theatre that his ensemble of twelve actors is a “cast of me of the witty, anti-perfection CGI used in The Mighty scene in which Thornhill is chased by a plane through a thousands” with some slick choreography and the that goes all in on telling a purely rollicking narrative Boosh. The cinematic connection is carried on in the field. I can’t tell you why it is so brilliantly clever, because adventure, and unquestionably its two hour and a bit tension is heightened by a metal framed moveable set atmospheric soundscape, which uses Bernard Hermann’s that would ruin the surprise. and some well focussed lighting. stage time passes in a whirl of fun, but it also makes you original score with new material by Ian McDonald. compare mediums. The stage can’t really compete with There is another surprise that had the audience roaring Canadian Jonathan Watton works diligently at film in the stunning locations and thrilling action stakes. Canadian, Jonathan Watton, plays Roger Thornhill, within the first five minutes of the play, but again, it the daunting task of trying to reprise Cary Grant’s the unflappable advertising executive whose identity would ruin the joy if I were to let the cat out of the bag performance as the iconic Roger O Thornhill and is Phillips knows this, which is why he tries to keep the tone is doggedly oppugned by the tale’s villains. He is now. light. Yet sometimes he ends up falling between two well supported by Olivia Fines as his love interest Eve, subsequently thrust into a desperate, life and death It’s riotously good fun - although having seen the film Nick Sampson as the spy-chasing Professor and Abigail stools. The fights feel like they should be captioned by pursuit across America, during which he is both pursued Adam West ‘kapow’ signs, so obviously pulled are the and now the play, I still can’t follow the plot! - and the McKern as his wacky mother. But Gerald Kyd never quite and pursuer, in order to clear his name of the murder of atmosphere is enhancing by the sweeping, filmic score. manages to convey the menace of James Mason as the punches. Yet weirdly they seem to be played straight. As a high ranking representative at the United Nations. Mr are the lines of dialogue; no arched eyebrows or ‘ding- If you even vaguely like the theatre, make sure you go villain Vandamm. Watton’s Thornhill has just that note of self-belief and The production works best when in comedy mode rather dong’ moments here. Instead it is left to some invented confidence that brings a lightness of touch allowing the and see North by Northwest. It’s exhilaratingly good. and inventive Keystone cops to gain the first laughs. It than in its dramatic phases which are continually rescued comic heart of the piece to leaven an otherwise testing by the use of Bernard Herrmann’s original film music. also sets the night up for something that doesn’t really plot. materialise. It is much more of a straight homage than its So “Why Bother?” - because in the end it makes for original scene will have you believe. Olivia Fines as, Eve, the vamp from whom spoiler an entertaining night out and a salute to a piece of alerts must dangle like seductive jewels, in addition to Yet it’s hard to be too critical. Phillips and co-designer cinematic history. The presentation, part of the theatre’s supplying a healthy dose of that blonde glamour much Summer Season, runs until August 12. Nick Schlieper immerse their audience into Hitchcock’s admired by Sir Alfred, skilfully keeps us guessing as to world, played on a set featuring multiple bars which her true motives. suggest a prison that ad man Thornhill has to break out from. It provides plenty of twisting fun and doesn’t Love tangles, reversals, twists and discoveries complete stop to draw breath until its villains have drawn their the canter through the menu of plot devices, which serve last. The ensemble provide a constant blur of energy, if up a scrumptious and entertaining evening of suspense, little chance of character development, while Jonathan humour and invention. Watton as ‘the wrong man’ on the run and Olivia Fines as the cool, chic blonde knock back zingers like they would their scotch, while providing plenty of classy sex appeal. If the night doesn’t fully convince me that genre theatre can be as enticing as that on the screen there is still plenty here to enjoy. A success in its native Australia from where it has transferred, there is little doubt it should play well to a legion of film fans. A quantified thumbs up.
Production Photography Nobby Clark BROADWAYWORLD.COM NOWTORONTO.COM 2017 REVIEWS TECHNICAL WIZARDRY ASTOUNDS IN HITCH YOURSELF TO NORTH BY MIRVISH’S NORTH BY NORTHWEST NORTHWEST
TORONTO Taylor Long Sep. 26, 2017 Adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock thriller uses lots of clever film and stage techniques to tell its story You’ve never seen anything like it! Mirvish’s NORTH BY Glenn Sumi Sep 25, 2017 NORTHWEST, based on Alfred Hitchcock’s famous film, fills the gorgeous Royal Alexandra Theatre with suspense and Let’s face it. More people watch moving pictures – on intrigue. Adapted by Carolyn Burns and directed by Simon big, medium and even hand-held screens – than go to Phillips, the new stage adaption thrills with witty, technical live theatre. So if you can’t beat em, join em, right? innovation. That seems to be the spirit behind Theatre Royal Bath’s A classic take on mistaken identity - Roger O. Thornhill ingenious adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic, (Jonathan Watton), a dapper advertising executive is North By Northwest. It’s essentially a recreation of the abducted by thugs who confuse him with a Mr. George stylish thriller, but with filmic devices that add to the live Kaplan. Things escalate quickly for Thornhill. A failed fun. assassination attempt leads to a drunk driving conviction and a murder at the UN. Suddenly the innocent Thornhill Roger Thornhill (Jonathan Watton, looking more like becomes America’s most wanted man. With help from the Hitchcock regular Jimmy Stewart than NXNW’s Cary charming Ms. Eve Kendall (Olivia Fines), Thornhill races to Grant) is a slick Manhattan ad exec who, due to a case of find the real Mr. Kaplan, and clear his name. mistaken identity, gets caught up in an international plot involving spies, a mysterious bit of microfilm (a classic Theatre magic is the ability to create the impossible on example of a McGuffin) and an archetypal Hitchcock icy stage. And the creative team of NORTH BY NORTHWEST blonde named Eve (Olivia Fines). does just that. Simon Phillips and Nick Schlieper are absolutely brilliant. Sleek steel structures frame the stage, Scenes in trains, planes and automobiles follow (not flying in from the ceiling to create hallways, windows and exactly in that order), climaxing in that justly famous even building ledges. If you watch the film’s opening credits, sequence set on Mount Rushmore. you’ll see the inspiration for this design. The versatility of the The big draw for the show isn’t the plot but in how set is imperative in a story that never stops moving. Chairs director Simon Phillips and the designers (sets by zoom across the stage, becoming luggage trolleys or police Phillips, Nick Schlieper, audio visual by Josh Burns) solve cars when needed. The level of creativity is mind boggling. certain visual problems. The most astonishing aspect of the design is the ingenious Borrowing perhaps from techniques by the Belgian duo video projections. Manipulating scaled-down models, in of Michèle Anne De Mey and Jaco Van Dormael (Kiss mini green-screen studios, the upstage projections are & Cry) and our own Robert Lepage, the team employs filmed and projected live. You heard me - live. In perplexing, small cameras on either side of the stage to capture and meticulously choreographed sequences, some of the most project onto a screen everything from letters characters suspenseful scenes are brought to life. Every detail is so are reading to trees and mountains whizzing by carefully planned - one of the male actor’s fingernails was passengers on a train. painted red to resemble Ms. Kendall’s hand in one of the I won’t give away how the company pulls off the film’s projections. two big set pieces – including the iconic crop-dusting Following the film, nearly word-for-word - Bernard sequence – but let’s just say there’s lots of playful Herrmann’s original film score is used sparingly to preserve imagination at work. the iconic atmosphere of suspense. Composer Ian McDonald There’s also lots of fun in seeing how the script’s sexual incorporates a new soundscape that never strays from innuendos – everything from the obvious closeted nature Herrmann’s style - dancing with Schlieper’s light design in of a henchman to Eve’s flirtatious banter – play out with sharp, stiff transitions that keep you on the edge of your a contemporary audience. seat. It’s all done without winking too knowingly at us. The actors must be exhausted after every show. Jonathan Canadian Watton and the hard-working ensemble (most Watton is practically perfect as Roger O. Thornhill. Watton of whom are Brits playing Americans very convincingly), is just as suave but much more lithe than Cary Grant. The buoyed along by Bernard Herrmann’s original score and extremely active scenes work better in Watton’s body - they an intriguing soundscape by Ian McDonald, make you come across as much more believable than in the film. I’m appreciate Hitchcock’s genius all over again, but this sure it helps playing opposite the irresistibly intoxicating time in a different, more immediate way. Olivia Fines as Eve Kendall - their chemistry looks rather effortless. Every step that Fines takes is refined in a style that flawlessly captures the essence of the classic Hollywood actress. The rest of the ensemble are tasked with playing countless roles. During Herrmann’s pounding overture they rip sheets revealing, “by a cast of thousands”. They aren’t kidding. Abigail McKern transitions swiftly from Roger’s mother, to a housekeeper, to a UN desk clerk. Phillips’ meticulous vision influences everything from the voices McKern uses, to the limp that she adopts for the housekeeper. Ensemble of NORTH BY NORTHWEST - Theatre Royal Bath. Credit: Nobby Clark If you’re a fan of the film, you will not be disappointed by NORTH BY NORTHWEST on stage. The quaintness of the classic film and the genius of some of Hitchcock’s most famous shots are preserved through the use of cutting- edge, bold projection technology. The extent of imagination, bringing this story to life, will make your jaw drop. Production Photography Nobby Clark SECOND RUN POINTS TO PLAY’S “... DAMN FINE CIRCUS” RETURN SEASON ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 REVIEWS TRUE DIRECTION NORTH BY NORTHWEST CHRIS BOYD SIMON PLANT 09 Feb 2016 artshub.com.au 29 Jan 2016 The Australian 28 July 2015 Herald Sun, Melbourne Simon Phillips directs this Melbourne Theatre Company Following a sell-out season in June, the stage adaption adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s great cinematic thriller ALFRED Hitchcock was not one for repeating himself. of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest will return to North by Northwest (1959) as a chase romp. What keeps Arts Centre Melbourne from 29 January 2016. Hollywood’s master of suspense dodged sequels and audiences on the edge of their seats is the degree of kept springing new surprises on his cinema audience. difficulty in the staging. All of Hitchcock’s set pieces are But as a hit stage version of his Cold War spy caper reproduced: the kamikaze crop duster and exploding Originally produced by the MTC and Kay + McLean North By Northwest heads back to tanker; even the cliffhanging denouement at the Mount Productions, the reworking of Hitchcock’s classic spy- Rushmore monument. Phillips gives us something thriller enjoyed a successful premiere season, receiving town for a re-run, it’s tempting to think Hitch might have comparably impressive. It’s gleefully imaginative and strong reviews and numerous standing ovations. given it his stamp of approval. executed with remarkable precision. Matt Day replicates Simon Phillips’ richly re- imagined production preserves Cary Grant’s debonair glibness as Roger Thornhill and Kay + McLean Productions’ Liza McLean said: ‘Andrew every twist and turn from the 1959 film starring Cary Amber McMahon dials up Eva Marie Saint’s brazen Grant and Eve MarieSaint. and I are thrilled by the success of North by Northwest smarm as Eve Kendall. This revival season at the Arts and proud to have worked with the MTC and our The crackling dialogue that filmgoers relished between Centre also stars Gina Riley and Lyall Brooks. All up, this extraordinary creative team, to bring Hitchcock’s iconic the pair — playing advertising executive Roger Thornhill is more circus than theatre. But it’s damn fine circus. film to the stage for the first time. We are truly delighted and ice-cool blonde Eve Kendall — is also reproduced. to be now working with Arts Centre Melbourne and Where this North By Northwest to see the play have the future life it so thoroughly departs from the original is in the way it transcends deserves.’ filmdom. Revisiting classic scenes such as the menacing crop dusting plane and the chase across Mt Rushmore, Phillips’ team deploys all sorts of ingenious — yet simple — theatrical devices. “We were determined to do that because we thought, ‘If you make a piece of theatre out of film and you do it by using film, what’s the point?’,” he says. “Unless there’s a real point of difference, you’re just putting a movie on stage.” Hugely popular on its first outing last year for Melbourne Theatre Company, North By Northwest is back for a short return season with most of the original cast including Matt Day (Thornhill), Amber McMahon (Kendall) and Matt Hetherington (as villain Van Damm). Given a second chance, was Phillips tempted to rejig the show? “No, no. We were very happy with it first time round. It’s not like this is a director’s cut where we overhaul the whole thing. It’s just about honing parts of it.” North By Northwest a comedy thriller, is notionally about the smuggling of microfilmed secrets but in Phillips’ version — adapted from Ernest Lehman’s screenplay by Carolyn Burns — the love interest is just as important as the espionage. “There are huge chunks of it (the script) that read like theatre scenes,’’ he says. Most famously, the one that brings Thornhill and Kendall together in a train carriage where double entendres fly thick and fast. Phillips says: “That subversive stuff of Hitchcock’s is just so great ... but while the actors in our show have a twinkle in their eye, they say it from the heart. COMIC TOUCHES MAKE LIGHT OF CARY’ING THE DAY “...MEMORABLE MOMENTS” “...CLEVERLY ENTERTAINING” HITCHCOCK FROLIC
OWEN RICHARDSON KATE HERBERT STEPHANIE LIEW Australian Stage 03 Feb 2016 08 Feb 2016 10 Feb 2016 February 2016 Age, Melbourne Herald Sun, Melbourne The Music (Melbourne), Melbourne http://www.australianstage.com.au/201602017591/ ★★★½ reviews/melbourne/north-by-northwest-%7C- kay-+- mclean-productions.html The crowds weren’t wrong to be pleased by North by ALFRED Hitchcock’s North By Northwest is a witty chase An advertising exec, Roger O Thornhill, gets embroiled in Northwest on stage last year, and if you missed it the movie blended with a spy thriller and naughty romance a case of mistaken identity, and it’s his life that could be return season is a good opportunity to catch up. It’s not and this stage adaptation successfully captures its tone on the line. When the thugs on his tail — who think he’s There were several moments during the opening night like a movie remake of something best left alone: it’s a and style. a man by the name of Kaplan — try to pin a murder on of thriller North By Northwest when the audience dashing and skilful piece of theatre in its own right. Carol Burns’ clever script adaptation and Simon Phillips’ him, he takes things into his own hands and tries to clear erupted into spontaneous laughter. Not just amused Carolyn Burns’ adaptation preserves the script: whatever inventive direction create a deliciously entertaining and his name himself. chuckles of appreciation at a snappy Mad Men-style one additions and inventions have been made won’t confuse often goofy production that is a shrewd merging of Following Melbourne Theatre Company’s rousingly liner (although there are plenty of them), nor chortles a Hitchcock buff’s memories. Simon Phillips and Nick cinematic and theatrical techniques. successful world premiere of North By Northwest last of delight on recognising a reference to the original Schlieper’s grid-like set recalls the international-style June, the Arts Centre has taken over producing the show classic movie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1959. And The production is exciting, funny, imaginative and not even nervy hysterical laughter as a bubble of high skyscraper that is the movie’s opening shot (and forms seamlessly directed by Phillips. this time around — and so soon. Aside from the addition the basis for the Saul Bass titles) and serves as the of Gina Riley (as Thornhill’s overbearing mother) and tension is relieved by a comic pin prick. various hotel rooms, the train and the house next to In a case of mistaken identity, Roger O. Thornhill (Matt Lyall Brooks, the cast is the same. This time, however, No, this was full-on, spontaneous belly laughs that Mount Rushmore. Day), a rakish advertising executive, is wrongly accused it is held in the State Theatre, not the Playhouse. Those delivered a solid tick of approval for this cleverly of murder and flees New York pursued by a ruthless spy, If you’re wondering how they do the crop duster and sitting in the circle may feel too far removed from the delivered production. Phillip Vandamm (Matt Hetherington), who is smuggling action — the Playhouse’s intimate setting added to the Mount Rushmore scenes, the answer is through making government secrets out of the country. Tackling a classic movie and adapting it for stage light of just those expectations. In this version, the most suspense of the show, and elevated its comedy. is challenging enough but when it’s one of Alfred fam- ous sequences from the movie also become the Day’s privileged and smug Nevertheless, those who missed its first incarnation Hitchcock’s best-loved film noirs and most of the most comic. Thornhill echoes but does not imitate Cary Grant as he will still be impressed by the performances — Amber audience is familiar with the plot, the phrase “big boots For the outdoor settings, spare actors on the sides of the wryly delivers the abundant smart- alec quips, while McMahon’s Eve Kendall in particular, playing off Matt to fill” barely covers it. stage, well in view, manipu- late models that are filmed Amber McMahon is cool and chic as femme fatale Eve Day’s indignant but cheeky Thornhill — and by the use of The Melbourne Theatre Company took up the gauntlet and projected up the back: the basement enthusiast Kendall. miniatures, green screen and video for landscape scenes. and ran with it last year, winning many fans. ‘‘daggin- ess’’ of this is offset by the crisp profession- By using lighting, film projections and blue screen The metal grid set replicates New York City’s skyscrapers and grey demeanour. Now the stage show is back for another two-week run alism of the acting and direction. techniques, all the illusions of the cinema are on the (why so short?), in a collaboration between Arts Centre North by Northwest is a frolic and can survive some stage. North By Northwest holds its own as a theatre Melbourne and Kay & McLean Productions. production while also staying quite faithful to Hitchcock’s degree of irreverence, but it’s a good decision by Phillips This production succeeds because it channels the It’s a very cosy, comfortable production, for all that not to have the performers send the material up. Matt sassiness, wit and elegance of the 1959 film and original story. Iconic scenes (the crop duster, Mount Rushmore) are spoofed to some degree, but in good it deals with mistaken identity, abduction, attempted Day stays fairly close to his original without at- tempting references the period of the movie while transforming it murder, gun-toting baddies and mysterious double to do a Cary Grant impersonation; as Eve Kendall, Amber into contemporary entertainment. nature, and these are some of the play’s most memorable moments. agents chasing our suave hero from New York to Mount McMahon is more sultry and sardonic than Eva Marie Rushmore – plus of course a treacherous femme fatale. Saint’s held-in performance, but the role can stand a bit of vampishness. As Phillip Van Dam, Matt Hetherington also does a good job of not seeming a mere substitute for James Mason’s silky tones. For this return season, the role of Roger Thornhill’s mother is taken, with relish, by Gina Riley: the age difference between her and Day is no more plausible than that between Grant and Jessie Royce Landis.
Matt Day and Gina Riley in the return season of North by Northwest. Photo: Jeff Busby Somehow it’s heartening to be swept along in the classic “...DIRECTORIAL WIZARDRY” “DON’T BE THE SUCKER WHO film noir format that reassures with familiarity alongside Amber McMahon as Eve Kendall looks every bit the frisson, and in hindsight Hitchcock’s use of droll humour blonde screen-siren, but again, the performance feels MISSES THIS POLISHED in NxNW probably paved the way for the later style of Limelight overly prescriptive - a parody rather than a portrayal. PRODUCTION” the Bond movies. February 2016 The simmering sexual energy and playful innuendo of Rather than try to embellish an already successful plot, http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/live-reviews/ the original are replaced by a more blunt method of director Simon Phillips and stage adapter Carolyn Burns review-north-northwest-arts-centre- melbourne-mtc seduction, and the double-agent metaphor of Thornhill Web Wombat have instead focussed on the means of delivery to create and Kendall’s romance gets lost in the pursuit of saucy 2 February 2016 new interest. Clever projections from two green screens gags. It may be a fun ride, but this adaptation of Hitchcock’s http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertain/pages/ on either side of the stage provide a range of effects, Matt Hetherington fares better as the calm, calculating entertainment/theatre/north-by-northwest.htm from close- up detail shots to moving trains and buses, perfect thriller is more a caricature than an homage. villain, Vandamm. Rather than hamming-up the and the iconic crop-duster plane scene. When screenwriter Ernest Lehman penned the 1959 archetype baddie, Hetherington’s restraint and icy For the most part it’s cleverly entertaining, if at screenplay for North by Northwest, he set out to create demeanour make this role all the more chilling, providing North by Northwest returns to Melbourne following times borderline silly, and the trickery is presented what he described as “the Hitchcock picture to end all a much-needed undercurrent of danger. a smash hit season in 2015. The culmination of many creative forces, North by Northwest is the stage so transparently that it draws the audience in as co- Hitchcock pictures.” The collaboration between Lehman Tony Llewellyn-Jones as the doddering Professor and conspirators. The crash and burn cropduster saw the and Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary British director and adaptation of master director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 Gina Riley as Thornhill’s naive and imperious mother classic. It’s the worst day ever for New York advertising concept teetering on the edge of farce but it somehow producer dubbed “the master of suspense”, resulted both execute these character roles with a well-judged managed to recover its balance. in a film of unrivalled technical audacity, pushing the exec Roger O. Thornhill (Matt Day) when he is mistakenly amount of exaggeration. However, what should be a vital abducted by thugs, despite his repeated protestations. It is the representations of Mount Rushmore that present boundaries of filmmaking to its limits. foil to the dashing swagger and sizzling eroticism of Indeed, this unflinching bravado infuses almost every The sinister Phillip Van Damm (Matt Hetherington) the method at its peak – and which rightfully win the the central protagonists ends up being obscured by the orchestrates a thrilling chase as Thornhill pursues the real belly laughs. facet of the film, from its daring plot of mistaken identity, pervading atmosphere of satire. seduction and espionage, to the glaringly unnatural George Kaplan across the country, assisted by femme Matt Day (Rake, Muriel’s Wedding) offers a solid delivery fatale Eve Kendall (Amber McMahon.) in his role of advertising exec Roger Thornhill, opposite suaveness of its debonaire dialogue. Yet for all its Amber McMahon as a slightly charicatured version of narrative absurdities and dubious characterisations, femme Eve Kendall, who seems torn between being a this film is the epitome of Hitchcock’s flair for sleek, The success of this adaptation lies in its homage to the ‘50s victim and an assertive 21-century woman. sophisticated escapism, circumnavigating his audience’s cinematic form. Modern theatre technologies of live disbelief with the sheer thrill of his directorial wizardry. green screen (in this case, blue and red screen) with Only two or three cast members have changed since the miniatures are operated by cast members in full view of 2015 version, and one is the introduction of And therein lies the biggest hurdle facing an adaptation of this film for the stage: Hitchcock’s magic is innately the audience. Bravo to Audio Visual designer Josh Burns Gina Riley as Thornhill’s bridge-loving mother. But while anchored to its cinematic medium. Ensuring the and the technical team on their innovation – it’s worth Riley’s voice can be picked out in sundry characters, her audience’s experience is as precisely guided in a live seeing the show just for the Mount Rushmore scene. comic talents went largely unused. Tony Llewellyn-Jones re-enactment as it is in its original on-screen guise is no Director Simon Phillips also tackles the mammoth task of has slightly more chance to shine as The Professor, while mean feat. set design, alongside Nick Schlieper (also responsible for Matt Hetherington and Nicholas Bell both do villain well. the glorious lighting design). Countless floor to ceiling However it is when all 12 cast members come together glistening steel frames and Perspex panels effortlessly that they truly shine. Between them the play a wide weave between multiple settings, and maintain the sense range of characters, filling in details as news reporters, of entrapment no doubt felt by Thornhill as he strives cops, taxi drivers, tannoy announcers, train, plane and Matt Day as Roger O. Thornhill and Amber McMahon as Eve Kendall to clear his name under constant scrutiny. The political (photo: Jeff Busby) hotel staff as the fast-paced production rattles along. context of the Cold War is referenced throughout the They also serve to move various set pieces around, The most direct link with the film is Ian McDonald’s show’s design, with perhaps a nod to the modern day transforming a coach to a car to a cab and making adaptation of Bernard Herrmann’s extraordinary score. lack of privacy. Composer Ian McDonald creates an mountains out of tables; all would have easily hit a This music is so evocative of Hitchcock’s dramatic immersive soundtrack, featuring Bernard Herrmann’s 10,000-step fitness target by closing call. powers that it adds a galvanising layer of authenticity, original film music. Whether you’ve seen the movie a dozen times or have ensuring that some of the white-knuckle thrill and never heard of Hitchcock, this is a slick, atmospheric ominous danger of the original is preserved. Playwright Carolyn Burns beautifully brings the production that tells a ripping yarn extremely well and is As one would expect of a Nick Schlieper design, the set Hitchcockian tale to the stage, balancing Ernest guaranteed to entertain. and lighting are extremely savvy on many levels, making Lehman’s politically tipped screenplay with selective nods to the polished retro-glamour of 1950’s New York comedy, frantic suspense, and a dash of old world while being versatile enough to conjure the myriad of romance. Although nowhere near the laugh-out-loud different locations with seamless transitions. The use slapstick of that other Hitchcock adaptation -The 39 of live-video projections (with the help of a little blue- Steps -North by Northwest has just enough humour screen) makes a pleasing nod to the resourcefulness to avoid taking itself too seriously. From the opening of Hitchcock and other pioneering filmmakers in the ‘credits’, a capable cast of twelve transform into over one pre-digital era, but occasionally the use of this device hundred characters at a rapid pace. It would be unfair for becomes unnecessarily flippant. The solution to realising me to single out any of the equally skilled ensemble, a Matt Hetherington as Vandamm and Amber McMahon as Eve Kendall (photo: Jeff Busby) the film’s famous Mount Rushmore chase scene is closer testament to solid casting and Phillips’ expert direction. to Monty Python than it is to Hitchcock. Esther Marie Hayes’ costume design captures the era and Director Simon Phillips and adaptor Carolyn Burns’ As an evening of entertainment, MTC’s North by aids the numerous character changes. strategy is decisive, but often hit and miss. Rather than Northwest is a surefire good night out, and anyone try to precisely transcribe Hitchcock’s film for the stage - seeing this production is guaranteed to leave the theatre It’s easy to see why North by Northwest was 2015’s a task that is arguably near impossible feeling they’ve got their money’s worth. However, this hottest ticket. Don’t be the sucker who misses this - this production offers a comedic sendup of its incarnation of the ultimate Hitchcock film feels pointedly polished production. source material, amplifying North by Northwest’s more un-Hitchcock in its reliance on comedy over dramatic implausible qualities with more than a few nods to the tension. The question of why a stage adaptation of such analog crudeness of its special effects. The result is a well-crafted film is necessary still hangs in the air; it unquestionably entertaining, but this production is more may be a fun ride that’s oozing with moxy, but for me, of a caricature than an homage. this North by Northwest is just too far north of farce. Matt Day, as Roger O. Thornhill, the Madison Avenue ad-man pulled into a deadly world of secret agents and government secrets, does a commendable job of capturing much of Cary Grant’s original, while allowing a little individuality to percolate through the performance. The pace and vigour of this account keeps a slick tempo to the action, but it is in need of a little more nuance, particularly in the romantic scenes. “...STRONG ENSEMBLE CAST” Further members of this strong ensemble cast each have “... IMMENSELY ENTERTAINING” and turns. His thrilling scores buoyed the scenes that their moments on stage and side stage: Nicholas Bell, Ian dragged. Bliss, Lyall Brooks, Leon Cain, Sheridan Harbridge, and With North by Northwest, Burns and Phillips have Simon Parris Man in Chair Lucas Stibbard. Theatre People successfully paid homage to Hitchcock’s saturated 2 February 2016 North By Northwest is recommended for theatre February 2016 style. The play is visually stunning, easy to follow https://simonparrismaninchair.com/2016/02/02/north- audiences and theatre students alike. http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/north-by-northwest-2/ and engrossing as a spy thriller, though there is an by-northwest-review-2016/ uncomfortable tension between two styles: attempts to be self-aware—including a blink-and-you’ll- miss-it An adaptation from film to stage is a challenge in its cameo of Hitchcock and special effects parodied with Lightly comedic thriller North By Northwest looks glossy own right, but how could anyone recreate North by toy models—often didn’t mesh well with the long scenes and grand in the larger space of the State Theatre. Northwest, the beloved Hitchcock classic with almost of exposition conveying the twisty plot. It’s as if the Premiering last year as part of MTC’s regular season, 3000 kilometres covered in its 2 hours? creators could have gone one way or the other with a the play’s status as a popular hit led to this commercial Spanning from the streets of 50s New York to the UN self-aware parody or a faithful, straight stage play, yet breakout season. Though no further dates are listed headquarters and all the way up to Mount Rushmore’s ended up remaining somewhere in between. Despite at this stage, the show seems a natural choice to tour. famous foreheads, Carolyn Burns and Simon Phillips this, the production is an immensely entertaining way to Looking further afield, this is the kind of clever concept tackle every challenge the film presents. Marvellously spend an evening, sure to delight Hitchcock fans while and unique staging that New York and London audiences designed and tightly plotted, the production introducing others to his work. would flock to see. unfortunately suffers from a tension between genres. Alfred Hitchcock’s famous 1959 film is adapted for the North by Northwest tells the story of Roger O. Thornhill stage by Carolyn Burns and directed by Simon Phillips, (Matt Day), an advertising executive mistaken for an a pair who is currently well represented in Southbank. international spy named George Kaplan. Kidnapped, Adapting Ernest Lehman’s screenplay for the stage, framed for drunk driving and murder, Thornhill is chased Burns re-tells the spiraling drama of mistaken identity relentlessly by Phillip Vandamm (Matt Hetherington) with a dash of levity, solving the knotty problem of and the authorities. Along the way he meets ‘double casting by assigning scores of roles to only 12 actors. double agent’ Eve Kendall played by Amber McMahon, Besides presiding over intricately choreographed, who clearly enjoys hamming up the sultry role originally frenetically paced scenes and scene changes, Phillips’ performed by Eva Marie Saint. masterstroke is his concept for the live creation of Released in 1959, the original film paralleled the Cold special effects throughout the show. Cast on side stage War climate of the 50s and 60s. In an interview, Burns manipulate small scale vehicles, backdrops and props said she saw the ‘political backbone’ of the original in front of cameras, and the resulting footage is then film and felt that its concerns with duplicity and false beamed on a large scale to the towering rear screen. Far identities reflect our own issues with privacy and more than a gimmick, the idea is immensely entertaining government surveillance. and thoroughly satisfying. Part of the success is due The script sticks closely to Ernest Lehman’s original, to the variety of effects achieved, with the central but the performers each give their own spin on the crop duster chase a highlight and the evocation of Mt characters. As Thornhill, Day nails the accent and the Rushmore a cheeky delight. smooth talking, wise guy performance Cary Grant While the side stage effect work may be hard to see originally personified. As a physical actor however, clearly from further back in this massive theatre, the idea he lags behind his co-stars. In one of the film’s iconic should remain clear and the massive projections are easy scenes, Thornhill waits by the side of the road for the to see. One benefit to sitting a little further back is the ‘real’ George Kaplan, yet instead a crop-duster makes delineation of roles played by the same actors; with the his acquaintance and tries to gun him down. While this faces not quite as clear, the wigs, costumes and accents scene in the production is weakened by a silly toy plane help to create multiple characters more easily. and crops on a backdrop that fail to convince, Day Nick Schlieper’s lighting pinpoints where to focus on doesn’t bring much physical immediacy to the role; he the large and busy stage. Crisp sound design, by Terry lightly drops to the ground and jogs back and forth while McKibbin, allows every word to be heard with ease the plane flies overhead. This scene—capping off the first (besides, of course the crucial explanation of villainous half—was more like an unenthused kid playing make- Vandamm’s work, which is drowned out by plane believe in his back yard. propellers). The supporting cast perform admirably. Comic superstar Phillips and Schlieper’s set design is a flexible series of Gina Riley (Kath and Kim, The Beautiful Lie) is a blast in gleaming panels of glass-like perspex. Given the see- the role of Thornhill’s exhaustingly clueless mother. Tony through nature of the set, it would have helped sightlines Llewellynn-Jones also gives an energetic performance as if the front masking (which compensates for the size of the agent aiding Thornhill. The large cast enacted several the set on the bigger stage) was also see-through rather roles to fill up populated scenes and these sometimes than solid black. played like comedy skits surrounding the central plot of intrigue. Despite occasionally conflicting with the more Ian McDonald’s atmospheric compositions are enhanced straight theatre scenes, these comedic asides allowed with featured original film music from Bernard Herrmann. the play to step out of its source material’s looming As harried advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill, shadow. Matt Day is a terrific leading man, confidently and Far and away the stand out aspect of North by convincingly portraying the character’s increasing Northwest was Nick Schlieper’s production and set ingenuity and skill while on the run. design. Cold, bare lighting befit the aesthetic of Amber McMahon keeps the secrets of cool Hitchcock government building interiors, streets bustled with blonde Eve Kendall safe until they need to be known. chatter and every scene change was swift. Car interiors Matt Hetherington purrs Vandamm’s lines with the were simple and effective—furniture was pushed around non-descript European accent of the best of the Bond on wheels while the screen in the back would switch with villains. the movements. The final chase scene was effectively Gina Riley adds a merry feel to her characters, amusing realised with tables and chairs and a multimedia particularly as Thornhill’s bridge-playing mother. Lachlan presentation of the Rushmore heads, played by three of Woods has the chiseled jaw of an old-time Hollywood the actors. movie star and the threatening intensity of a no- Collaborating frequently with Bernard Hermann, nonsense henchman.Tony Llewellyn-Jones brings quiet Hitchcock’s films were complimented perfectly by their class to The Professor. scores. Ian McDonald on this production achieves the right tone of excitement while emphasising the twists “STUNNING WORLD PREMIERE” SLICK AND ENTERTAINING cameos, and the swift newsroom interludes that pepper the action. 2015 REVIEWS ADAPTATION OF HITCHCOCK’S Obviously, design is just as crucial as performance to theatrepeople.com.au ICONIC FILM realising North by Northwest. The layered, prison-like set IAN NOTT (Simon Phillips and Nick Schlieper) recalls Get Smart as JUNE 5, 2015 much as Hitchcock. It’s flanked by two blue screens on CAMERON WOODHEAD either side, where models are projected onto a backdrop Sydney Morning Herald to evoke some of the immortal cinematic moments from MTC are headed in the right direction with this stunning the film. There’s a whiff of silliness about these special world premiere of Hitchcock’s film classic North by effects – the crop duster sequence is a crash and burn – Northwest. The thrills and spills of the 1959 film which but they can be inspired too. The climactic final scenes starred Cary Grant are brought to life on Arts Centre stage on Mount Rushmore are strokes of theatrical genius. ingeniously by erstwhile Mtc artistic director, Simon Phillips, Together with the noir-like disorientations of the lighting, through use of clever, moving visual projections and a very and atmospheric music and sound, Phillips’ dynamic competent cast. staging keeps the audience immersed in Hitchcock’s All the narrative elements and features of the film are classic from go to whoa. The suspense of this North by carefully included in this two-hour rendition of the film Northwest might yield to mischievous humour more than starring Matt Day playing the main character, Roger O. the film (Phillips even manages a Hitchcockian cameo Thornhill, with the right mix of vulnerability, sexiness and himself) but it remains slick and thoroughly entertaining brainpower. The program notes state that writer, Carolyn commercial theatre. Mainstream audiences should lap it Burns, was determined to adapt the film to the stage by up. paying homage to all its features and wanted to avoid turning it into any sort of spoof. She successfully achieves this faithfulness, injecting the right sort of tension in the Matt Day (left) and Amber McMahon (right) in the MTC’s world-first stage right places and including all the memorable characters adaptation North by Northwest. Photo: Eddie Jim from the film without making them too larger than life. North by Northwest is one of the most iconic of Alfred The spy-thriller story is true gangster meets innocent Hitchcock’s films. In some ways the 1959 comedy thriller victim with a splash of romance to boot with Amber prefigures James Bond, with its exotic action sequences McMahon embodying the typical 1950s sex siren, Eve and steamy erotic tensions, its debonair villain, deadly Kendall, who is more than meets the eye. McMahon’s sultry espionage, and the wry, self-aware tone of the acting voice and cat-like walk worked perfectly for the part and (the original is performed with a nod and a wink to her performance is a stand-out. its status as fantasy) that never quite undermines the The real feature of the show though was the use of genuine suspense of which Hitchcock was an undisputed the projections onto the cyclorama. All those famous master. scenes that you could feel the audience waiting for with The challenge of bringing all that to the stage is hardly anticipation were masterfully presented with the actors trivial. Director Simon Phillips’ return to the MTC meets blending in with the projected action-packed visuals. it with inventive staging and populist flair, producing Scenes which showed Thornhill rushing in and out of train a fast-paced, lively and droll crowd-pleaser that’s carriages, his drunken car ride, him being attacked by a guaranteed to put bums on seats. crop-duster plane and of course, his Mount Rushmore climb. The audience was thrilled with this blend of stage The stage version is, of course, a different creature to and screen as just the right balance was made by audio- the movie, but it’s also distinct from the MTC’s last sally visual designer Josh Burns. At each side of the stage, into Hitchcock’s oeuvre – the attractive 2008 adaptation visible to the audience, were tables which sat small models of The 39 Steps, directed by Noel Coward expert Maria of cars, trucks and planes all of which were projected via Aitken, who refracted it through the prism of farce. small camera onto the cyclorama to produces those well- For all its bustle, a farce North by Northwest is not. loved film scenes. It was a wonderful bit of stagecraft by Yes, it’s more comedy than thriller. And perhaps it was model makers Charlie Davis and Owen Phillips. It is worth a inevitable that the comedic impulse would swallow ticket just to see this in action. some of what generates suspense on screen, but The cast displayed their skills at playing many different there’s something in the commitment of the ensemble characters and it was Deirdre Rubenstein who played all of performance, in the genuine attempt to recreate sinister her plum roles with her usual flair. Her Mrs Thornhill was a atmospherics, that saves this homage to Hitchcock from tough old bird, never one to suffer fools. Matt Hetherington falling into simple ridiculousness. played the treacherous Phillip Vandamm, his debonair Matt Day is surprisingly sharp as Roger O. Thornhill, the persona successfully belying his criminal nastiness. advertising exec who, in a case of mistaken identity, gets Hetherington’s accent was a hoot. All other members of drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse. He’s dapper the class did the very best in engendering the Hitchcock and harassed, and anchors the show by channelling Cary thriller genre. Grant with compelling accuracy. North by Northwest is generally thought of as the first Opposite him, Amber McMahon as Eve Kendall carves feature film to used kinetic typography in its opening out a notably different performance from that of Eva credits and set designer, Simon Phillips and Nick Schlieper, Marie Saint, partly because this version unleashes its ensured they made reference to this by including it in the sexual chemistry directly, where the original had to opening moments of the play in a way which was nifty and sublimate it into innuendo and flirtation. (There are no visually effective. It was good to see the cameo of Alfred trains disappearing up tunnels in this production.) As a Hitchcock appear earlier on as well, the audience waiting result, McMahon is both watchable and funny, but closer for this to occur, it being a feature most of Hitchcock’s to a caricature of a ‘50s femme fatale, her character’s films. The original film music (Bernard Hermann) was used armour and vulnerability not as intricately realised as throughout the production which further added to the they could have been. 1950s feel. Deidre Rubinstein entertains as Thornhill’s frustrating This is a faultless production and one that will warm and mother; Tony Llewellyn-Jones is avuncular as The wow audiences during this Melbourne winter. It is a great Professor; Matt Hetherington smooth but a bit recessive homage to one of the masters of filmmaking. It is an in the James Mason role of arch-villain. But the eight exceptional feat to adapt this film onto the stage. It had the actors in the ensemble play, almost literally, a cast right mix of nostalgia, fun and glamour. The magic of film of thousands and they’re at their best in concert – in and theatre do collide so successfully in this production. meticulously choreographed crowd scenes, classic “ASTOUNDING...” “MARVEL AT THE... SPECIAL EFFECTS” recorded, and made to look a lot neater, but the “...SUCH A BLAST” adventure — and often the comedy — is in witnessing the process of creation. This is a sense of wonderment popculture-y.com ANDREW FUHRMANN peculiar to the theatre: we see how the trick is done, but australianstage.com.au STACEY WATERS dailyreview.com.au we’re still enchanted. ELEANOR HOWLETT JUNE 20, 2015 June 5, 2015 And there are plenty more stage tricks, too. For instance, Monday, 08 June 2015 15:43 the play opens with a charming recreation of the film’s famous title sequence, with the actors running around North by Northwest stands as an essential Alfred ★★★★★ forming the words manually, setting the tone of the show Hitchcock film, considered one of the greatest films of It was suggested to me recently that if Shakespeare somewhere between a send-up and an homage. all time due to it’s sophisticated dialogue and visually could have put jet planes on stage then he almost Indeed, it’s quite exciting, at least at first, waiting to iconic style. Carolyn Burns’ adaptation, presented by certainly would have. And I think that’s probably true, see how they’ll solve each new scenic problem. But it’s the Melbourne Theatre Group, pays an homage to the or true enough. His ambition is double hinged: to say an ironic sort of excitement, separate to our interest timeless film. that all the world’s a stage is to say at the same time in the plot. We’re really watching two plays at once. Matt Day’s performance of Roger Thornhill, the lead that a stage is all the world. Everything that happens in North by Northwest is both a whimsical journey from who is wrongly identified as George Kaplan and thus the great business of life can be done again in a theatre, screen to the stage, very tongue-in-cheek, and an begins the events of the performance, draws inspiration whether it’s the Battle of Agincourt or a crop duster earnest attempt to tell a gripping yarn. At first both thickly from Cary Grant’s performance as Thornhill in the plunging into a tank truck. aspects of the production are equally engrossing, but film. The only downside to his suave charm and stage North By Northwest may not be Shakespeare, but something happens about half way through, beginning presence is the vaguely over the top, almost clownish there is a sort of Jacobean aspiration in this Melbourne with the iconic crop duster and cornfields scene. Simon rapport with Amber McMahon, who plays Eve Kendall, Theatre Company attempt to put it on the stage. Alfred Phillips hasn’t managed to capture anything of the the femme fatale spy who Thornhill falls for. Hitchcock’s super-slick 1959 spy movie, with Cary Grant original’s strange menace, and this seems to tip the Matt Hetherington plays the villainous Vandamm, trying as a Manhattan ad man caught up in a case of mistaken balance decisively toward parody. After that it’s never so to smuggle government secrets out of the country on identity, is as famous for its artful cinematic vastness – mesmerising. microfilm. His performance seems to be lacking, coming its Mount Rushmore and its Illinois cornfields — as it is But the idea is right, as the recent and immensely across in an almost camp manner, with no real show of for it genre thrills, mesmerising fast talk and Hollywood popular adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s film version the arch-villain that actor James Mason brought to the romance. of The 39 Steps proved. While I’m not sure if this character in the film. So it’s not an obvious candidate for adaptation; and production will be the international success that the The real entertainment of the performance lies with indeed this is apparently the first authorised stage MTC is hoping, there is no doubt that audiences do want the astounding ways that the iconic shots from the version anywhere in the world. For director Simon to see theatre that takes on the movies, which strips movie are replayed upon the stage. Rather than display Phillips — a former MTC artistic director — and writer off the cinematic mask and shows us how the story is pre-recorded back drops, all the projections across Carolyn Burns, the challenge is to how to retain a sense told. There is world enough on stage for the classics of the stage are done in sight of the audience, just in the of seriousness and adventure and not surrender entirely Hollywood, crop dusters, jet planes and all. Photos – Jeff Busby wings. We see actors pushing around props, toy cars to farce. And they make a good fist of it; although in and even projecting their faces onto the stage for the the second half the play does start to feel more like a Hitting movie screens in 1959, North by Northwest is famous Mount Rushmore scene. It brings a comedic and lampoon than anything else. widely considered one of the greatest films of all time. enchanting element to the performance, something that With the legendary Alfred Hitchcock at the helm and It has a booming sound design, with original an iconic score by Bernard Herrmann, the movie is one may have been lacking had pre-recorded footage been compositions by Ian McDonald, references to Bernard used. that is so well known, adapting it for the stage could be Hermann’s original score and plenty of movie sound considered an exercise as treacherous as one of Roger Most notably, the efficiency of the cast when moving effects. Nick Schlieper’s set (and lighting) looks Thornhill’s cliff hanging escapades. props and setting the scenes (again, the Mount something like a Bauhaus birdcage, which seems a Rushmore scene) is superb to witness, the rush and hurry bit lateral for North by Northwest. Perhaps it’s an The plot follows the aforementioned Roger Thornhill of the actors almost setting the atmosphere for the next architectural tribute to Chicago’s Ludwig Mies van der (played solidly by Matt Day) from his jumping off point scene, something that wouldn’t have been achieved via Rohe and his grids of steel and glass? as a wise-cracking, dutiful son, through to a classic case stage hands moving props. of mistaken identity, culminating in a cat and mouse Matt Day’s imitation of Cary Grant as the harried Roger chase across the country as he works to evade the Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips manage Thornhill is closely modelled on the real thing. He does enemy, clear his name, and land the lady. All padded in to capture the essence of the original Hitchcock film, have a good deal of flash and smoothness, but the the suave stylings of the 1950s. delivering a performance that entertains and makes you romance and repartee with Amber McMahon — playing want to go home and watch the 1959 spy thriller again. Eve Kendall, the blonde who turned spy because “she There are so many key scenes, shots and quintessential had nothing better to do that weekend” — is rather dialogue in the film that to attempt to migrate the flat and even a bit ridiculous. Not enough has been film to stage and omit a vast deal of them would be a done here to account for Eve’s specifically cinematic disrespectful disaster. On the other hand, as good as it is, attraction. this adaptation does beg the question; “Who’s the target audience?” Matt Hetherington is the villain, the part played by James Mason in the film. He looks dapper, but without Who’s going to get most out of this stage version? Mason’s effortless old world charm. We do, however, get People who already know and love the film? Or is it here the necessary hint of sexual jealousy, the chink in this to bring new audiences to the story? A story, mind you, evil spymaster’s armour of suaveness. Lachlan Woods is that isn’t an old one. A good bit of mistaken identity as also very good as the villain’s cold-eyed right-hand man a jumping off point for a romping tale of danger and — somewhere between an assassin and a Bond Street intrigue never hurt no one. And this MTC world premiere art dealer. is an absolute testament to that. It is a ridiculous amount of fun. The cast are obviously having a marvellous time The cast is large, with most of its 12 playing multiple onstage throughout and it’s impossible not to jump in roles; but in fact they do their best work as stagehands. a car, ride on a train, and duck under a swooping plane Instead of marvelling at Hitchcock’s high-polish auteur with them. style, we marvel at the rough-and-ready way that special effects are produced for us live on stage. This involves The tone, energy, dialogue, that wonderful, wonderful a lot of digital video. In open booths on either side of score, even fleeting characters in the film (little did Doris the stage, we watch the actors pushing around small Singh know that her tiny turn as a Secretary – her one models — of trains, planes and automobiles — in front and only film role ever – would garner so much delight of fixed cameras and even toy sets. These images are many years later when Sheridan Harbridge perfectly then projected live onto a big screen behind the action, pays homage to her performance) were so carefully complete with chroma key special effects, to create a replicated for the stage… it’s pitch perfect. kind of hybrid theatre-cinema. And it’s this pitch perfect replication that’s also a All of this projected material could have been pre- potentially limiting factor for the stage play. Knowing the film, this particular audience member loved every minute of it. The nods to the staple Alfred Hitchcock cameo, “...SLICK AND FUN” the tension of the plot. A CLEVER AND HUMOROUS familiar characterisations, and even the cinematography As there are so many surprises on stage, this is its own of the time were very clever. And potentially lost on tension and its own story – as long as MacGuffin’s friend HOMAGE TO A CLASSIC MOVIE. those who aren’t familiar with the cinematic version. A ANNE-MARIE PEARD doesn’t tap you on the shoulder and ask “Why are we little research afterwards confirmed the suspicion. aussietheatre.com.au telling this story?” or “Is this excellence, Mr Brandis?”. artshub.com.au That aside, and as previously mentioned, this production June 6th, 2015 As such, it’s easy to compare it to the Olivier Award– ELIZABETH DAVIE is a genuinely fun ride. The stakes might be somewhat winning re-telling of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (2008 non-existent and Matt Hetherington’s slightly MTC) and to Kneehigh Theatre’s production of the exaggerated characterisation is screaming for a softly The MTC’s much-anticipated North by Northwest will be 1945 film Brief Encounter (2013 MIAF), which both purring white cat as a prop, but the show romps along a sold-out hit. This re-telling of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 reflected the mannered UK societies when they were ★★★★ at a great pace and the work is very masterful. Matt Day much-loved film is slick and fun and doesn’t detract from made. Steps was spoof and Encounter was homage, is tasked with taking a very well known character to the its source material. While it skims the surface of what but North by Northwest tries to be both, which leaves it stage, and he’s really the only one who doesn’t mirror the makes Hitchock’s films so watchable, it’s pretty cool to tonally confusing and, at times, a bit lost when in-jokes same characterisation in the film. But then he can’t. No watch it skip, make ripples and get safely to the other overcome the pace of the story. one’s ever going to expect him to emulate Cary Grant. side. That’s just cruel. As a result he’s incredibly watchable, as None of which is going to make it any less popular. It’s it’s one of the few “new” things in the stage version. It’s a show that’s found the road between the crushing- a tight piece that will really only firm up during the run, cliff wall of safety and the sharp-edged plummet of and the ensemble is to be commended. Fine work by all. originality, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. The use of the multi-media is incredibly inventive (I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wasn’t deadly keen to see how they were going to manage “the plane bit”) and Simon Phillips and Nick Schlieper’s lighting and set design is a excellent. Functional, colourful, and everything you need it to be. Director, Simon Phillips, has done a sterling job with Photo Jeff Busby this production, especially with the expectations that The frenetic opening sequence of MTC’s production were/are there from the onset. In the musical theatre North by Northwest sets the thrilling pace for this clever world films seemingly hit the stage far more often. and humorous homage to the classic Hitchcock film. It’s somewhat rarer in the theatre arena, with the flip being that stage plays graduate to film more frequently. It seems an almost impossible task to adapt North by Anyone who manages it this well deserves a knowing Northwest to the stage - it is an iconic film, made by one look, and a Hollywood slow clap. MTC North by Northwest. Photo by Jeff Busby of the most famous directors of all time. It is also a very filmic film; Hitchcock and writer Ernest Lehmen literally It’s not without its flaws but the grandiose nature of the The film, about advertising man Roger O Thornhill being started with scenes they wanted to see, such as the show, the energy, performances and “Pass me a Gibson” mistaken for a cold-war super-spy, was made for a 70 Mount Rushmore chase, and then worked to build the 1950s style grab you by the hand, and drag you excitedly mm film telling with huge settings – from New York to narrative from there. along for the ride. It’s ever such a blast. Mount Rushmore – that declare it a work that belongs on Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips have a huge screen. Director Simon Phillips is the co-designer responded to this challenge with inventiveness and with Nick Schlieper and they have created a telling that humour. They have not tried to recreate the film but belongs on a stage. celebrate it, their North By Northwest doesn’t take itself Along with the cast of 12, who seem like hundreds, and too seriously. It is very clever, but never alienatingly so, the rights to the film’s music, the design has moments and it always invites the audience to share in the joke. of theatrical mastery as many of the iconic big-screen Nick Schlieper’s set, inspired by Saul Bass’ award scenes – including the crop duster and the climb over winning opening credits, is sparse and versatile with the stone faces – are made with the help of their own big multi purpose props arranged and moved by the cast screen. What makes them a joy is that there’s no secret in lightning fast transitions from scene to scene. The as to how the effects are created. With a wink to the set is augmented by a vivid soundscape and projected early days of screen miniatures and models, the cinema graphics by Ian McDonald (Composer and Sound effects are made live by the cast, but the live action of Designer) and Josh Burns (Audio Visual Designer). the characters is always kept as the focus. Cameras and green screens, revealed to stage left The cast reach to the film portrayals, but bring enough of and right, allow for live footage of props and minute themselves to make them more than an impersonation. moveable dioramas to be projected. Harking back to the Matt Day’s Cary-Grant-cum-Thornhill, Amber McMahon’s “smoke and mirrors” special effects techniques of early Eva-Marie Saint-cum-femme-fatale-Eve and Deidre cinema, these audio visual elements add a filmic quality Rubenstein’s Jesse-Royce-Landis-cum-Thornhill’s-mother and allow this production to tackle some of the more are especially wonderful. challenging scenes of North by Northwest, such as the What the stage hasn’t re-created is Hitchcock’s pace and crop dusting plane and the chase on Mount Rushmore suspense. His changing point of view techniques create - both highlights of the incredible stagecraft of this too-scared-to-blink tension, when the audience are just production. ahead of the characters (know what’s about to happen), This is a highly entertaining show and the cast are and jump-in-your-seat fright, when they are with the evidently enjoying themselves. This is truly an ensemble character (find out what happens as the character piece, with actors switching between multiple characters does). His close ups and fast cuts trap his characters and and lending a hand operating the dioramas. The acting is give them no choice. The stage gives characters literal at times hammy but well toned and fitting with the ethos and figurative space to make choices, which gives the of the production. There is also a genuine chemistry audience space to question the MacGuffin. between the leads Matt Day (Roger Thornhill) and Hitchcock popularised the term MacGuffin as character Amber McMahon (Eve Kendall). motive that’s never really explained or given its place It is not necessary to know and love the film to in the narrative logic. This technique excels when the thoroughly enjoy this adaptation, but it will increase your audience don’t have time to think; when all that matters admiration of just how good a job they’ve done. is “what happens next?”. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars A lot of this show’s “what happens next?” comes from assumed familiarity with the film and wanting to know how they are going to make each scene, rather than from “A VISUAL FEAST “ LINKS AU Review 7 February 2016 http://arts.theaureview.com/reviews/theatre- review-north-by-northwest-arts-centre-melbourne- performances-until-february-13/ NBNW PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller film North by Northwest https://vimeo.com/221865245 has become a stage sensation, and its return season has confirmed just how extraordinary this theatrical reimagining is. Given the technicalities of film it really begged the question: how were they going to put this onto the The above links have been provided for reference stage? Well, I’m not going to tell you. This is a show that viewing only. This is the archival recording of the must be seen to be believed, and there will be no spoiler production and remains the copyright of Kay & McLean coming from me. Productions and cannot be copied, distributed or reproduced in any way. What I can tell you is that the reprised performances from Matt Day as Roger O. Thornhill and Amber McMahon as Eve Kendall are incredible. They carry the show and lift it to new heights, but of course without the support of a stellar cast, this show would not be the success it is today. Hitchcock is a genius and I have no doubt he would be more than impressed with the stage adaptation of his film. The pace, comedic timing and detail throughout the storyline had the audience hooked from the very moment all the commotion began, and while the opening credits of the film were something close and dear, you’re going to love the opening credits of the stage show – clever and on point. Also quite sneaky is a special appearance from a certain someone who is known to pop in and say hello in most of these Hitchcock films. Again, we don’t want to give too much away but think literally this time. North by Northwest is a theatrical triumph but if you’re wondering whether to see the film first or the stage show, well, it’s completely up to you. Just know that either way, it is a visual feast.