Q&A with The 39 Steps ‘clowns’ Gareth Cassidy and Mike Hugo – as the spy caper returns this month!

4th March 2020

The New Vic is reviving its sensational spy caper The 39 Steps this month, and as we bring this hugely popular production back to the stage for audiences to enjoy once more, we caught up with two of its stars, actors Gareth Cassidy and Mike Hugo.

Welcome back Gareth and Mike! How are rehearsals for The 39 Steps going so far, this second time around?

Mike: We’ve hit the floor running. We’re like giddy kippers swimming at a breakneck speed. This show costs me a fortune in trainers with all the running around.

Gareth: Because we knew the play, from day one this time around we were rehearsing it at ‘show pace’, which is very, very fast. We’re calling it The 39 Steps 2.0

Mike: Or, The 39 Steps: Reloaded! Because it’s so involved, and was so intense the first time we did it, as our stamina increased throughout the shows, we found more possibilities within each scene, and it made us want to go back into rehearsals so we could realise them.

Gareth: Sometimes you get to a theatre and the acting company starts talking about what local gyms they are going to go to and so on, but with this show there’s really no need for extra-curricular gym-ming, it’s that full-on. 

Tell us about your characters…

Mike: We both play lots of characters, although we’re referred to as the ‘clowns’ of the piece. Of course, the beauty of clowns is that we’re not afraid of trying our best! Isaac, who plays Richard Hannay, is basically aiming to recreate a masterpiece, but unfortunately we were the only other two guys available to execute it!

What do you think made the original production of The 39 Steps at the New Vic so great?

Gareth: The 39 Steps was greater than the sum of its parts. It was made so great by all the people involved with it, not just the actors. Everybody in the New Vic building was coming down to rehearsals and getting involved. In terms of the buzz, it felt like a Christmas show.

Mike: What was great was you could tell so many people had come along because their mates said they would enjoy it, and to a normal punter that’s as valuable as a professional review. If you’ve never seen a New Vic-produced show directed by Theresa Heskins, this is the quintessential ‘Theresa show’ in my opinion. It’s playful, and plays to all her strengths while at the same time stretching them.

How familiar were you with The 39 Steps story before you started the play last year?

Gareth: I’d seen two versions of The 39 Steps on stage previously, the one in the West End, and one at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. Both were face-on, and both were really great. But they were really different to the New Vic version. It’s not like ‘you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all’. In-the-round, everybody feels like they’re in on it with you. The auditorium seating is very much used as a stage as well. It makes it extra special.

Mike: Yes, very much like with Around the World in 80 Days, we need audience help!

What’s in there for fans of the novel or 1935 Hitchcock film?

Mike: The play is actually quite true to the film, which is true to the novel. In the novel, there’s a socio-political message in there though which I feel gets lost in the chase and suspense of the Hitchcock version. Particularly for the older audience members who have seen in some of these changes take place, I think it’s refreshing to have those values re-tickled.

Gareth: There’s homages and so many references to the film, if you look at the production photography it really is recreating the Hitchcock style.

Why should people who’ve seen the show before see it again?

Mike: The people who think they know the story – I would urge them to come again. What are The 39 Steps? I don’t think even we know for sure.

The 39 Steps takes to the stage at the New Vic from Thursday 5 March to Saturday 28 March 2020. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £15.50, from the New Vic Theatre Box Office and can be booked by calling 01782 717962 or online here.

“The 39 Steps” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH LTD, a Concord Theatricals Company.