The 39 Steps at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

This ingenious comic stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The 39 Steps turns its tiny cast of four into more than 100 zany characters with a mix of Hitchcockian panache, spy-novel thrills and a touch of Monty Python absurdity. The two-time winner of both Tony and Drama Desk Awards, The 39 Steps is a fast-paced and funny whodunit brimming with action and romance. Accused of a murder he didn't commit, Richard Hannay flees from the authorities and encounters a string of hair-raising adventures -- as well as an unlikely love connection. Gasp and guffaw as the show's talented actors reenact the entire film (including every train chase, plane crash and murder), gleefully portraying the many spies, villains and other intriguing characters that inhabit this action-packed world. Strap yourself in and hang on for Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's production of The 39 Steps in Arlington Heights.