Starring Sanam Saeed, Faraz Lodhi, Zeeshan Shah and Ali Hashmi, The 39 Steps made way to the Karachi Arts Council last week amidst much appreciation.
InstepREVIEW
Nida Butt’s latest theatre production, a murder mystery, is worth watching, at least once.
Starring Sanam Saeed, Faraz Lodhi, Zeeshan Shah and Ali Hashmi, The 39 Steps made way to the Karachi Arts Council last week amidst much appreciation.
Directed by Nida Butt and produced by Hamza Jafri, the play is an adaptation of John Buchan’s novel and popular Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. With four actors portraying over 45 characters, the production is a murder mystery thriller/comedy set in 1930s England.
The 39 Steps revolves around the story of a London civilian, Richard Hannay, remarkably portrayed by the multitalented Faraz Lodhi. Hannay gets entangled in a false murder case while attempting to prevent a troupe of spies, ‘The 39 Steps’, from leaking the country’s military secrets. Since he is falsely accused of a homicide, he runs to Scotland in a bid to escape the police. During this period, he encounters an attractive woman, Margaret, played by Sanam Saeed.
What follows is their journey towards finding the truth and extricating themselves from unforeseen circumstances. Along the way, they meet people from different walks of life, effortlessly portrayed by actors Zeeshan Shah and Ali Hashmi.
While a compelling narrative makes for a great watch, it is the performances and execution that ultimately stole the show. The effects, smoke, props, costumes, set and character changes were as seamless as one would expect from a prerecorded act. Despite playing multiple characters, the four actors who took centerstage didn’t appear to be drained which is indicative of their craft.
Of the four artists on stage, Zeeshan Shah set himself apart from the rest by essaying over a dozen characters. In particular his speech as an elderly man left the audience in fits of laughter. Faraz Lodhi and Ali Hashmi were also effortless in their delivery while Sanam Saeed, the only female artist onstage, fit all her characters well. She essayed the role of a German spy, Annabella; British blonde, Pamela and country belle, Margaret with equal ease.
Nida Butt deserves a round of applause for putting up a memorable theatre production with limited resources and actors. The treatment of props and set changes achieved in the blink of an eye made the experience even more interesting.
Speaking to Instep about whether they made any changes to the script to suit audiences in Pakistan, Butt shared, “We didn’t adapt anything – we used the original script and didn’t make any geographical or character changes either. This is an award winning script so tampering with it would be criminal.”
Butt also said that The 39 Steps is “a minimal play with just a handful of props and a simple backdrop”. She hopes to inspire upcoming theatre directors, adding that the government needs to lend support to the cause too. “I hope it inspires other young theater directors to come forward and do more work. There is less and less theater happening now. The government needs to step up and ensure that this art form doesn’t die out completely. The rates are subsidized for private companies so it’s not an unaffordable venture. However, currently, the government taxes as well as high rental prices of Arts Council make it financially almost impossible to stage a show. I would say: support the industry - don’t drain us!” she concluded.
The 100-minute long play is currently running at the Arts Council, Karachi and concludes on December 10, 2017. If you haven’t watched it already, don’t miss out on it.
