Actors juggle multiple roles in ‘39 Steps’

Cardinal Stage Company’s “The 39 Steps,” will be performed through Nov. 18 at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium.

Adapted from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film and John Buchan’s 1915 novel, the play focuses on Richard Hannay, an army officer, as he tries to solve the riddle of the 39 Steps while escaping Nazi spies.

Hannay, played by Chris Vettel, is joined by three actors who juggle 50-plus character roles while enduring fast-paced costume, character and scene changes.

Hitchcock’s arsenal of films is referenced throughout the play, accompanied by tongue-in-cheek humor that will keep the audience on their toes.

After combining all the elements together, director Randy White said the experience was “an engaging, fast-paced whodunit that celebrates the magic of theater.”

When it came time to choose the actors, White said he relied on previous experience and gut instinct.

“We found the actors through auditions, as well as people we know and have previously worked with in Cardinal shows,” he said in an email. “We saw Nika Ericson in an audition in Chicago two years ago and we thought she’d be perfect for the multiple femme fatale roles, and we were right.”

Ericson, who takes on the roles of Annabella, a German spy; Margaret, a Scottish girl; and Pamela, a Brit, said the task of playing multiple characters is an ideal job.

“It’s kind of been my dream as an actor, and I get to realize that by doing all these roles,” she said.

Despite the multitude of costumes, characters and scenes, the chaos lends a new perspective for the audience, Vettel said in an email.

“It’s an unusual opportunity for them to enjoy the story of Richard Hannay and the 39 Steps while simultaneously enjoying how the ‘actors’ tell the story ingeniously with very limited sets and props,” Vettel said.

To play along with the mystery of the plot, the Cardinal Stage Company is hiding 39 tickets around campus for students to find.

If students do not find a ticket hiding around campus, they can be purchased at cardinalstage.org or by calling 812-336-9300.

Ticket prices range from $17.50 to $25.

“We wanted something in the marketing that would set the right fun tone to let people know this was first and foremost a comedy,” White said.