Mystery woman Annabelle (Leah Tipton) and Richard Hannay (Collin Szymanski) making contact in Elkhart Civic Theatre’s production of “The 39 Steps,” opening Friday, May 17, at the Bristol Opera House.

News Release

BRISTOL — A hilarious spoof of the master of suspense, “The 39 Steps,” will be on stage at the Elkhart Civic Theatre Bristol Opera House and opens Friday, May 17.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have “The 39 Steps,” a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre.

This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance.

In “The 39 Steps,” a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When she is murdered, the man soon finds that a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on his trail in a cross-country manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale. A riotous blend of fast-moving performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, “The 39 Steps” amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure fun.

The cast includes:

• Richard Hannay — Collin Szymanski
• Annabella/Pamela/Margaret — Leah Tipton
• Clown — Vincent Bilancio
• Clown — Craig Knight
• Crew — Bonnie MacGowan and Teo Kingsley

The production is directed by Demarée Dufour-Noneman, assisted by Marla Miller. The show will be on stage May 17-19, 24 and 25.