Curtain due up on The 39 Steps at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre

The show played to packed houses five years ago. The revival is a co-production with Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.

Dave Hearn, Lucy Keirl, Olivia Onyehara and Niall Ransome are directed by Paul Robinson in the show, which mixes a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, and adds a dash of Monty Python to create a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre.The Olivier Award-winning treat is packed with non-stop laughs, some good old-fashioned romance and a whole host of colourful characters – all played by a cast of four.

Famous scenes include the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the first-ever theatrical biplane crash and a death-defying finale.

Dave Hearn is a founder member of Mischief Theatre, the award-winning comedy creators of Goes Wrong.

Lucy Keirl returns to the Stephe Joseph after playing Mandy, the Fairy Godmother, plus many other roles in the theatre’s Christmas hit Cinderella.

Olivia Onyehara joins the team for the first time. Her recent credits include All’s Well That Ends Well and Richard III at the RSC.

Niall Ransome is also a member of Mischief Theatre and returns to the theatre to play the role of one of the clowns in The 39 Steps for the second time.

Director Paul Robinson is fresh from huge critical and audience acclaim for his last three shows: Brief Encounter, Constellations andThe Comedy of Errors (more or less), which brought a whole new audience to Shakespeare.

“We had an absolute riot when we created our first production of The 39 Steps back in 2018 – and that was just our team,” he said.

"But I think that goes for the audiences, too: people have been asking us ever since to bring it back. We’re delighted that this remount is a co-production with Theatre by the Lake – we’re sure that the Lakes will love it as much as our Scarborough audience did.”

Liz Stephenson, artistic director at Keswick, said: “It's great to be working with the Stephen Joseph Theatre again and we're very much looking forward to welcoming this great production here at Theatre by the Lake.

"The 39 Steps is the perfect addition to our line-up of shows being staged here this year. After the success of both One Man, Two Guvnors and Brief Encounter in 2022 we felt this classic and comedic whodunit was something our audiences were keen to have more of.”

The co-production of The 39 Steps is designed by Helen Coyston, with associate designer Eve Oakley.

The lighting designer is Jason Taylor, sound design and composition is by Simon Slater, Erin Carter is the movement directo and Julia Perry-Mook is the wardrobe supervisor. Casting director is Sarah Hughes.

It can be seen at the Stephen Joseph from Friday June 30 to Saturday July 29 and at Keswick from Thursday August 3 to Saturday September 2.

Tickets for Scarborough: www.sjt.uk.com or 01723 370541.