By ALAN HOSKINS
While it might be hard to imagine, more than 150 zany characters will be portrayed by a cast of just four in the zany, madcap comedy “The 39 Steps” at Kansas City Kansas Community College March 7-10.
Directed by Dr. Charles Leader, performances will be presented Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue.
A two-time Tony and Drama Desk award-winning comedy, “The 39 Steps” mixes an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python in a production that includes an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance.
Nathan Mortensen stars as Richard Hannay, a man with a boring life who meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. One of three roles portrayed by Hailey Jones, the woman is murdered in Hannay’s home.
Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes with a death-defying finale.
Jameson Donaghy and Kenan Meadows star as the two clowns who take part in a riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft.
Meadows, an F.L. Schlagle graduate who plays trumpet in the KCKCC Jazz Band, and Donaghy, a Social Science major, are making their KCKCC acting debuts.
An Olathe South graduate, Mortenzen is in his fourth KCKCC production while Jones has been an active force in the Kansas City theatre scene both as an actress and producer.
Art Kent, who has more than 500 career design sets, is in charge of lighting; Tammy Keiser, costumes; Wendy Scott, property designer and scenic artist; and Turner graduate Bethany Kolman, stage manager.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and can be reserved in advance by calling 913-288-7106 or purchased at the door prior to each performance.
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PHOTO: A cast of (from left) Jameson Donaghy, Kenan Meadows, Hailey Jones and Nathan Mortensen will portray more than 150 characters in the hilarious comedy, “The 39 Steps,” which will be performed at Kansas City Kansas Community College Thursday through Sunday, March 7-10. (KCKCC Photo by Charles Leader).
