Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...That said, the show is still quite funny in a pleasingly retro way and, certainly, it is perfectly capable of providing escape from the rigors of your tough week. Scott Parkinson, a longtime Chicago actor returning home with this show, has a veritable plethora of verbal gurgles and British accents (regional variations exquisitely attached) and a quite delightful sense of the absurd. He’s terrific. Claire Brownell, who brings a deliciously archaic sense of the fatale to the femme role of Annabella, is pretty good, once she warms herself and us up. And Eric Hissom makes a nicely wacky Scott."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The production, already a hit in London, on Broadway and on stages around the world -- and now in a national touring incarnation making a two-week stop at the Bank of America Theatre here -- is lighthearted and less than overwhelming, even if its four actors (three of whom play a total of several dozen roles) engage in an impressive marathon display of high energy, zany accents, goofy antics and pure silliness. (And surely there is no need to engage in offstage workouts if you're cast in this show. The actors have no choice but to be tireless.)"
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...The play became an unlikely hit in London and then transferred to Broadway a couple of years ago, gaining an enthusiastic audience who loved its imagination and wit. The show is now installed at the Bank of America Theatre in a good production that would be better minus its occasional silliness."
Centerstage
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The show is part of the "Broadway in Chicago" program wherein Loop theaters import blockbuster shows from New York. While "The 39 Steps" is passably amusing in its lighter than air spirit, you can find funnier stuff homegrown in many a Chicago storefront."
Chicago Stage Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps is an impressive exercise in creative theatrics but the production proves to be so emotionally detached that you feel as if you are watching wind-up toys being sent through an intricately detailed game. If the focus were shifted to include some reality, either the reality of the characters in the story or the reality of actors existing in the struggle to create something from virtually nothing, The 39 Steps could prove to be a sidesplitting show. As it stands, it feels like tediously climbing 39 steep steps to nowhere."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...
Aitken’s pacing is similarly herky-jerky, and her low-tech, ain’t-theater-grand affectations (shadow puppetry plays a significant part) serve to remind us that this is basically fringe theater at a Broadway price point. For Chicagoans, The 39 Steps is really just a decent Hell in a Handbag show made family-friendly and expensive."
ShowBizChicago
- Recommended
"...The piece resultingly achieves an imbalance between its deft innovation and an unwillingness to eschew an urge to wink, nod, and elbow its audience. The fancy-free joviality makes for welcome entertainment, but as Hitchcock himself often espoused, it takes more than novelty to sustain a story."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Nothing is impossible for this crew of four whose physical comedy and timing is impeccable and whose body language often hilariously moves in synch. They dart amid the minimal props with amazing swiftness, donning and removing trench coats and hats, pivoting in circles as they shift from character to character, confronting themselves and each other in ever-varied roles. Kudos to award-winning movement director Toby Sedgwick and Christopher Bayes for additional movement in their outstanding work."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...I for one enjoyed this delicious theatrical experience, but felt that it could easily be cut down to one 90 -100 minute production instead of two hours including intermission. Two hours less the 10-15 minutes translates to close to the 90 minute mark anyway and I truly think the flow of the production would be stronger as the audience wouldn't have to get back into it. Why ruin a special evening just to sell a few drinks and perhaps a t-shirt? The show is a fast paced spoof and having a break in the action doesn't help. If one is unfamiliar with the works of Hitchcock, some of the spoof will be lost as you will have no reference point. "
Chicago Theater Beat
- Recommended
"...It was a bold move to write up a spoof of Hitchcock’s film, not just because of the original’s acclaim, but because the movie is 75-years-old. However, Barlow’s risk paid off in laughs and awards. This is due to the ferocious energy of the cast and story, and the touring cast knows this well."
