By Margot Thomas

THE 39 STEPS classic mystery thriller has undergone many adaptations since it was written by John Buchan 100 years ago, including the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie and this month come’s Panama’s turn.

You can certainly expect further surprises at the Ancon Theatre Guild (TGA),  in a performance melding the book the movie, and a Patrick Barlow stage adaptation  into a comedy drama  directed by the always outside the envelope duo of  Giancarlo Benedetti and Rob Getman,  who never failed to surprise and stimulate Panama  audiences.

The play is about a man living a boring life in pre First World  War London, when he meets a mysterious woman claiming  to be a spy. In a time of anti Hun tednsions, he takes her home, and  when  she is murdered he is  accused of her death and  runs from the law. The chase extends across Britain into Scotland as the uncovering of the true killers and  the mysterious 39 steps develops.

The TGA  adaptation has a four-person cast interpreting multiple roles. One actor plays the hero, one actress plays the three women with whom he finds himself romantically involved, and two additional actors play all the other parts : heroes, villains, men, women, children, and occasionally, inanimate objects. So you too will need stay alert if you want to weave your way through the tangled skein.

We are promised a spy comedy that reflecting multidimensional talent from its actors, accompanied by an exciting light design.

The play will be presented on October  8-10, 15-17 and 22-24 of at 8:00 p.m.

You will of course arrive early to share in the gossip and high expectations at the patio bar.

After  the show, and back on the patio:

LOOK OUT FOR:
Directors and Producers: Giancarlo Benedetti & Rob Getman
Assistant Producers: Stephanie Lezcano & Maria Isabel Vega
Cast: 
Jirac Caro
Ana Victoria Esquivel
Ingrid MacCartney
Jose Manuel Lopez