Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"... A huge Broadway hit (with 771 performances at three different theaters) and a West End perennial, "The 39 Steps," as adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, is one tricked-out romantic comedy thriller. And director David New's new Drury Lane Theatre production of this spoof, wherein four actors play scores of different roles, could write the instruction manual on every last one of those roles. With the help of a talented and game cast, no visual joke goes ungagged, no piece of business is laid off, no bit of fluff is left unteased."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"... This panoramic chase, requiring split-second changes of costume, accent and body language, is accomplished largely through the acting and acrobatic prowess of the uniformly fabulous quartet of actors. Crucial to their work is the use of wheeled furniture and door frames, ladders that form a truly perilous bridge to nowhere, fog and wind machines, a slew of hilarious costumes and wigs (cheers for designer Tracy Dorman and Rick Jarvie), and what must be among the most nerve-jangling lineup of lighting cues (from designer Rita Pietraszek) and sound effects(by wayof Rob Milburn and MichaelBodeen)."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...With only four actors playing 150 roles, this action-packed tale of murder and espionage could be amusing as well as tense. But David New's production undercuts the nail-biting aspect of things by piling on the physical bits—not just quick changes a la The Mystery of Irma Vep but also self-conscious stage business and intricate slapstick routines. New and company keep us laughing (particularly Paul Kalina and Jeff Dumas, who perform with virtuoso bravado). Still, after a while we don't know whether we're laughing with the characters or at them."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...much of the play’s hilarity comes from Jeff Dumas and Paul Kalina, a great comic team who tackle most of the roles. Playing men, women, children and even props the duo switch gears at lightning speed. New keeps his actors moving and, while the story intrigues, plot doesn’t drive this production. It’s the finely-tuned combined creativity and close partnership between director, actors, lighting, sound, set and costume technicians that work together making this an entertaining 39 Steps."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...David New has directed the show with wondrous facility. The rehearsals to hone the action to its pinpoint precision must have been pretty intense. The design team is a full partner in the success of the evening. Kevin Depinet frames all the action within the stage of the Palladium music hall, complete with second story boxes from which shots are fired at the beginning and end of the story. Tracy Dorman’s costumes and Rick Irvine’s wigs give the quick changing a credibility one must see to believe. The lighting by Rita Pietraszek, the sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, and the properties of Nick Heggestad are full partners in the exceptional production values."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"... The plot is a witty, outrageous, madcap romp based on a straightforward 1915 thriller by John Buchan and an even more famous dashing, 1935 spy film by Alfred Hitchcock, which set the standard for characters on the run who avoid capture by a hairsbreadth and end up proving their own innocence. The term for this is monomyth — where an ordinary man enters an unfamiliar world filled with almost insurmountable challenges and survives to return to the ordinary."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"... A little goes a long way, especially if you watch this intimate show from the back of the huge Drury Lane Theatre as I had to (but the hearing aid worked perfectly!). It soon becomes an exercise in easy excess and forced whimsy, the sound, smoke and lighting effects notwithstanding. It doesn’t need its intermission, except, I concede, to rest the furiously parodying performers. What it does need, I fear, is to be “Irma Vep.” But that only happens once. Anyway 30 out of 39 steps ain’t bad."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... Every season, Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook takes a step back and produces one non-musical to offset the great expense one of the major productions brings to its stage. What they have on their stage right now, is a four member cast, physical farce that almost defies gravity in its production value. “39 Steps” is a Tony Award winning thriller, based on the novel by John Buchan ( the “father of the spy novel”) and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, but in so many ways, this show far outweighs the original concept and to be very honest, the production now on stage at Drury Lane Oakbrook is far superior to what we witnessed two years ago as part of the Broadway In Chicago series."
