KARACHI: Alfred Hitchcock was a master at using (read: exploiting) the camera’s lens to create maximum visual thrill out of material printed on pages. The reference is not just to the art of writing screenplays; he could do that to a novel too, just as he did to a John Buchan story The 39 Steps (after Hitchcock, others tried their hand at the material).

Now when that story was adapted for stage, many thought that it was a Herculean task because of the intricacy of the plot and the diversity of characters involved in the tale. To the credit of its first stage writers, they devised an intelligent method that allowed them to make the theatrical version humorous and, with just few actors playing multiple parts, visually unusual.

Made for Stage Productions’ take on the play on Sunday directed by Nida Butt did more than justice to the Buchan story. It was a riveting performance with nothing much for critics (and cynics) to crib about. In fact, they — those who were there that is — thoroughly enjoyed the play.

The 39 Steps focuses on the prim and proper gentleman Richard Hannay (Faraz Lodhi), who has just shifted to a flat in London. At an event he meets a garrulous woman with a foreign accent Annabella Schmidt (Sanam Saeed). She gives him a nugget of information that someone wants to harm his country. While divulging the info, she asks him whether he knows what ‘The 39 Steps’ is. There’s also a mention of two spies (played by Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Zeeshan). She requests Hannay to let her stay in his flat, which he does, only to later find her dead body there. Now he is the murder suspect. And there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Hannay decides not to approach the police. To clear his name of the murder case he goes into hiding and following a trail reaches Scotland. During his journey he bumps into several characters, including the wicked-looking Prof Jordon (Zeeshan). He increasingly becomes aware of the gravity of the situation: it’s more than the murder of a woman that needs to be resolved. The word ‘war’ is also uttered on different occasions.

The 39 Steps is a fine, fine comedy with plenty of action. You laugh at the characters’ antics and delightful puns and funny one-liners (this writer’s favourite being “Bob’s your uncle?”). You smile when a romantic set-up goes haywire. You move to the edge of your seat when a seemingly innocuous twist in the story turns out to be an interesting development. But most of all, the play is, and should be, appreciated because it’s a spectacle.

Nida Butt has pulled off a spectacle here. She is, of course, interested in telling a story, but she wants to give the audience a visual treat. The car and train journey simulations she uses in the play are super impressive, and the silhouetted version of a chase involving airplanes is stupendous. She surprises with a set design too that serves her purpose well. (If one was hard-pressed to complain, the use of collar microphones could be pointed out, but even that sounded alright.)

To boot, all the four performers on Sunday were on the money. Faraz Lodhi has a bit of a yesteryear charm to him, and it fits his character like a glove. Sanam Saeed appears to have a special bond with Nida — in her plays she shines like a diamond. Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Zeeshan have truckloads of talent and the ease with which they slip into various characters without stuffing up their lines is quite special. (Apart from Lodhi, the three actors play multiple roles in the play). Bravo!

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2017