Vintage Hitchcock

Vintage Hitchcock

Wed 10th January 2024

When I was asked to review the latest HADIT production Vintage Hitchcock – A Live Radio Play I was a little confused and intrigued in equal measure. A live radio play . . . on stage?? What were HADIT up to this time?

I turned up for the performance with an open mind and high expectations. What could be better than a murder mystery medley to help you through a cold and lonely January night.

The stage was set with two stately vintage microphones standing proudly up front, shared by the ‘sound effects section’ with all its paraphernalia, household items and ingenious contraptions to create the auditory ‘aullusions’ (not a word . . . but should be). The setting of the stage was complete with plenty of seating in the back for resting cast.

We were treated to a triple dose of subtle but ominous suspense in true Hitchcock style, from the claustrophobic, fog cloaked tension of The Lodger, to the international intrigue of Sabotage, concluding with the fast-paced chase to discover the truth of The 39 Steps. The whole thing was enough to give you Vertigo!

The Lodger got the audience in the spirit with its dark mood, with a Jack the Ripper style killer on the loose and plenty of ‘Reeeadaaaaallabaaaardit’ thrown in. A ‘sinister minister’ (Mr Sleuth, excellently played by Tim Smallwood) arrives to take up lodgings at the Bunting’s residence. The landlady (an excellent performance from Lesley Tattersall ) is suspicious from the start. Where did the lodger go at night? What did he carry in that odd case? Why was his bottom drawer locked? Would we ever find the truth about Mr Sleuth??

Sabotage was a more complex affair with an unruly assortment of undercover cops, suspicious foreigners and innocent bystanders. A classic who knew who? Who knew what? Who knew what when? Will the good old boys from Scotland Yard stop the baddies from abroad? Or will there be an explosive end?

Finally, The 39 Steps, a fast-paced chase to discover the truth of an undercover spy ring. The debonair Richard Hannay (played with panache and confidence by Brent Storey) is chief suspect in a murder and is obliged to head for Scotland to seek the truth, hoping to track down a fingerless fiend. Mr Hannay takes the Aberdeen Express, along with a couple of constables in hot pursuit. He is forced to beg the assistance of a very sophisticated, well-spoken socialite, Pamela Stewart (wonderfully played with attitude and aplomb by Jo Elliott). When the police arrive, Ms Stewart promptly throws him under the bus (despite being on the train!). The plods arrest The Wrong Man and cuff them both together, despite the protest from Ms Stewart that they were just Strangers on a Train. They manage to escape the incompetent bobbies, but cannot escape each other. An interesting dynamic follows, with the innocent Mr Hannay (or is he?) and well to do Ms Stewart having to deal with their enforced proximity, leading to an interesting and beguiling chemistry that bubbled and brewed through to the end. We must not forget the ‘ Memory Man’, The Man Who Knew Too Much who had to be silenced before he spilled the beans . . . with a ‘lump o’ lead that made ‘im dead’. Nor must we forget the almost invisible (?) foreign agent played with such understated subtlety by Jane Bramwell – it was a fabulous all-round performance. But I think it is fair to say that it was Brent and Jo who elevated The 39 Steps to a new level.

It was great to see an expanded cast with ‘the usual suspects’ and a number of new faces too, giving new vigour and vitality to the troupe. It is always difficult to single out individuals when the production is so intertwined with everyone playing their part and adding to the hurly burly and ‘cut and thrust’ of the production. As well as those already mentioned, I think further praise should be given to Ali Harrison who shone as Winnie Verloc in Sabotage, along with the rather ‘special’ Stevie, played with gusto by Fiona Johnston. But I have to take my hat off (and put on a different one) to all those who played numerous parts. It’s not an easy task and easy to trip up . . . Jim Driver always has presence whatever role he plays, Dorothy Jenkins was everywhere, and Ellie Papworth did a great job both on stage and as foley sound assistant.

Our aching nerves were soothed throughout by the calming and confident influence of the narrator (Jon Haddock), with his easy charm and his sincere wish to get ‘murder back in the home . . . where it belongs’.

An additional thumbs up should go to music and lights. Excellent work on the keyboards brought us relaxing ‘tearoom classics’ coupled with spine chilling notes to bring our nerves on edge; this, combined with the creative lighting, produced, when needed, a genuine atmosphere of tension and fear.

The obligatory post-Christmas holiday ads were provided in style by ‘The Jingle Singers’, inviting us to kick back and take a relaxing flight on North by Northwest Airlines, then wash all our cares away at the ever-attentive Bates Motel. What could possibly go wrong?

And last – and by absolutely no means least, I must give an extra special nod to the ‘sound ingeneers’. Janet Skirrow was by far the busiest person on set and what a fabulous job she did. If I closed my eyes, I was at the zoo, I was in the bird shop, listening to the knocking of foot and stick on the boards, hearing bodies drop to the floor. Knocking on doors, doors opening, doors closing . . . trains pulling into the station . . . gun shots, explosions. . . . and on and on. But the highlight was the lighting of the gas with the brolly – a spark of genius with no match.

I thought there may have been a cameo appearance in the shadows from the director in true Hitchcock style, but that never happened (as far as I know) – maybe a bit of Stage Fright?

No Shadow of a Doubt, this was one of my favourite HADIT productions. I was Spellbound throughout and in a Frenzy when it came to an untimely end. If this is the future of radio I would like to see more.

Well done EVERYONE including those not mentioned.

The End (or is it?)

P.S. As I got up to leave, I heard a lady in the audience comment on how good ‘that girl was at putting on a Scottish accent’ . Fiona will be pleased; she’s been working on that for some time now!

Tony Evans