New Screen Version of The 39 Steps On PBS Tonight

For those who enjoyed the long-running Broadway (and now Off-Broadway) play The 39 Steps, you may want to tune into your local PBS station tonight to check out a new movie version. This is an update of the original Alfred Hitchcock film on which the play was based. The big difference between the movie versions and the stage version is that the 39 Steps play took a far more wacky and comedic approach to the story of a man who unwittingly gets caught up in murder and international intrigue.

The 39 Steps To Re-Open Off-Broadway in March

What was only speculated a couple months ago is now final: The 39 Steps, which recently enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway before closing at the Helen Hayes Theatre on January 10, will re-open Off-Broadway at New World Stages. The new production, which has yet to be cast, will start performances on March 25. In making this move, The 39 Steps has copied the route recently taken by Avenue Q, the popular musical that had a long Broadway run and then, very shortly after closing its Broadway production, moved to New World Stages Off-Broadway. The theory is that shows like these, which have relatively low production costs (because of small casts and simple sets) and still have some selling power (just not enough to fill an entire Broadway theater), can prolong their New York life by transferring to a smaller Off-Broadway theater where running costs are lower. When Avenue Q made the move, it appeared to be a fluke. But now that The 39 Steps is attempting the same strategy, Broadway wags think it could be a trend.

Burn the Floor Burns Out, Ragtime Stops Playing, and The 39 Steps Run Out

Broadway is bereft once again as the January closings continue today. Burn the Floor is all danced out and has finally ended its run at the Longacre Theatre following extensions due to popular ticket demand. Also closing today, the Hitchcock-inspired mystery/comedy The 39 Steps, which enjoyed an unusually long run for a play, lasting two years on Broadway. One of the most unfortunate Broadway closings so far this season is the excellent revival of the musical Ragtime, which only made it a few months at the Neil Simon Theatre. The audiences were enthusiastic, but the show just couldn't sell enough tickets to keep this production running. And then there is also a significant Off-Broadway closing today, the long-running production of the Christian boy band musical Altar Boyz, which shutters following over 2,000 performances at New World Stages.

The 39 Steps Pulls An Avenue Q

The Alfred Hitchcockian comedy The 39 Steps, scheduled to conclude its lengthy Broadway run in January, appears to have its eye on Off-Broadway. Earlier this year, Avenue Q raised eyebrows when, immediately following its Broadway closing at the John Golden Theatre, it announced that the production would be re-opening at New World Stages for another Off-Broadway run. It looks like the producers of The 39 Steps were inspired to try the same strategy, as they are now posting casting notices for a new Off-Broadway production of the show. Like Avenue Q, The 39 Steps is a small show (it only has a four-person cast) that could work quite well Off-Broadway. The fact that it survived two years on Broadway - a major feat for a play - indicates that there is a good audience for the show, so Off-Broadway may be the perfect place for it. There will not be pressure to sell as many tickets to a smaller theater, and the running costs will be lower.

The 39 Steps To Close In January 2010

The producers of The 39 Steps announced today that the play will be ending its Broadway run in January 2010. It is rare that a Broadway play can manage to run even a year on Broadway, but when The 39 Steps closes, it will have spent two whole years on the Great White Way, making it the longest running Broadway play in several years. The four-person comedy, based on the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same name, played other cities before being produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company on Broadway in their American Airlines Theatre. Due to its success, The 39 Steps transferred to the Cort Theatre for an open run, and then transferred yet again to the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it's been playing since the beginning of this year. The Helen Hayes was recently taken over by Second Stage Theatre to be used for its productions.

Broadway's 39 Steps Moving To Helen Hayes

The 39 Steps is moving house again. The Broadway comedy loosely based on Hitchcock's film of the same name will depart from the Cort Theatre on January 11, 2009 and re-open at the Helen Hayes Theatre on January 20. Will Ferrell's solo show will be taking its place at the Cort.

39 Steps Will Transfer To Another Broadway Theater

The 39 Steps, the well-received Hitchcock spoof currently being presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company, will be transferring from the American Airlines Theatre to the Cort Theatre on April 29. This new engagement of the farcical play, which comes courtesy of a slew of new producers, will include a second opening night for the show -- on May 8. All tickets for The 39 Steps's first Broadway preview performance at the Cort will cost $39.

The 39 Steps Climbs Onto The Broadway Stage

The first new show to hit Broadway in 2008 is the play The 39 Steps, which begins performances tonight at the American Airlines Theatre.