CODA, the Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, will be staging their new production in Sutton, with The 39 Steps at the CryerArts Centre in Carshalton this November.
Using Patrick Barlow’s adaptation from John Buchan’s famous thriller novel and the Hitchcock movie, CODA’s hilarious and thrilling theatrical adventure is, they say, “inventively staged with a hard-working cast of four”.
The plot, or as much of it as was left in Hitchcock’s big screen version, will be familiar to many: when Richard Hannay invites a mysterious woman home, he is framed for her murder, and finds himself swept up in an international conspiracy. He is chased to Scotland by the police and a shadowy organisation (insert suitable Inside Croydon-themed topical joke here), and only his wits, luck and a whole lot of pluck can save him.
Directed by Paul Hudson, The 39 Steps stars David Manson as Richard Hannay, Ella McDonnell as Annabella, Pamela and Margaret, and Alex Cooper and Paul Cohen as everyone else.
Stepping out: the plucky CODA cast of (from left) David Manson, Ella McDonnell, Alex Cooper and Paul Cohen
“I’m incredibly excited to be working on such an entertaining show with a great team, on and offstage,” Hudson said.
CODA chairman Michael Hall says, “The script is bursting with vivid characters and a gripping story, told with such invention and humour. I know audiences will love the play.”
CODA was founded in 1943, and is Croydon’s leading community theatre company, performing both musicals and plays to a highly professional standard. The 39 Steps comes after productions of Little Women and Steel Magnolias at the CryerArts, and a hugely successful return to Wandle Park this summer with Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice.
The 39 Steps runs from Wednesday November 2 to Saturday November 5 at the CryerArts Centre, 39 High Street, Carshalton, with evening performances at 7.45pm, and a matinee on the Saturday at 2.30pm.
Tickets are £14 or £15 full price and £13 or £14 concessions (plus booking fee), and can be booked online at www.cryerarts.co.uk, or by telephone on 020 8669 2444.
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