Directed by Cal McCrystal, the production will bring McCrystal’s flair for visual comedy and inventive storytelling to this much-loved classic. Cal caught up with the team and is delighted to be back in Derby and bring this show to Hull.
Cal McCrystal is an award-winning theatre and opera director internationally celebrated for his distinctive approach to physical comedy. Born in Belfast, he trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before further developing his craft with acclaimed clowning and physical theatre teachers Philippe Gaulier and Pierre Byland. His theatre credits include collaborations with Peepolykus, Spymonkey and the National Theatre, where he served as Comedy Director on the award-winning One Man, Two Guvnors, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Don Quixote. He directed the original Mighty Boosh stage shows, winning a Perrier Award, and has worked as a physical comedy consultant on Paddington and Paddington 2. His opera credits include Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore, Le Comte Ory and L’elisir d’amore for English National Opera, Irish National Opera and English Touring Opera. He has also been the creative force behind Giffords Circus for many years, helping to shape its much-loved annual productions. His work is characterised by inventive visual storytelling, meticulous comic timing and a commitment to finding humour in every aspect of performance, creating productions that delight audiences with their warmth, imagination and joyful theatricality.
- What first attracted you to The39 Steps and what makes it such a perfect vehicle for comedy?
Cal: The 1935 movie The 39 Steps is a wonderful, and slightly ridiculous, comedy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The stage adaptation takes that world and condenses it into a four-hander, while expanding the comedy and gently poking fun at the genre.
- This show is famous for doing a lot with very little– four actors, endless characters. What excites you about that challenge as a director?
Cal: These days, most actors complain of being typecast. The 39 Steps shows what actors can do when they’re allowed to show their versatility. My job is to keep a fast pace, adding visual gags along the way. We have a wonderful cast, who I’m very much looking forward to working with.
- Your work is known for physical comedy. What possibilities doesThe39 Steps offer that other plays don’t?
Cal: I think all plays have the potential to add physical comedy, but this one demands a very visual telling of the story. It’s an absolute laugh fest and we’re hoping to keep the audience in stitches throughout.
- You’ve worked across theatre, opera, circus and film. How does that mix of experience shape your approach to staging something like The 39 Steps?
Cal: As a director, I am very much focused on the performances, even more than the text or musical score. I have assembled a really talented cast who will bring lots of their own ideas and personalities to the show. Having worked a lot in circus, I have quite a creatively lateral view of physical possibilities.
- As Comedy Director on One Man, Two Guvnors, you helped create one of the most celebrated British comedies in recent years. Do you envisage bringing anything from that experience into this production?
Cal: I was Comedy Director on the National Theatre’s One Man, Two Guvnors. It was the fastest-selling play in the history of the West End and the most successful comedy in the National Theatre’s history. I created the physical comedy sequences and the comedic vocabulary for the play. Physical comedy travels well, as there are no language or cultural barriers, so everyone can enjoy it. I will be bringing all of my skills to The 39 Steps.
- Physical comedy often feels effortless when done well, but we know it’s anything but. What goes into making those moments land?
Cal: Confidence and courage are essential qualities for actors in physical comedy. Good technique will keep you safe.
- You’ve worked at Derby Theatre, when it was Derby Playhouse, on productions that audiences still remember fondly, including Loot, The Killing of Sister George and Kafka’s Dick. What are your memories of working here?
Cal: I have wonderful memories of working at Derby Theatre. As a young actor, I had my very first repertory job at Derby Playhouse in 1982, in Ken Lee’s World War II musical comedy Happy as a Sandbag. As with The 39 Steps, the actors played multiple roles. I played everyone from an evacuee child to a tap dancer to Adolf Hitler. Leslie Nichol, best known as Mrs Patmore in Downton Abbey, played my mother and Carmen Miranda. My first production as a director at Derby was Joe Orton’s Loot in 2003. It featured Mat Baynton in a small role – his theatrical debut. I followed this production in 2004 with Alan Bennett’s Kafka’s Dick. Derby audiences are the best. Lots of wonderful laughter. It was a fun place to work, with great interdepartmental cooperation and support.
- How does it feel to return to Derby, and how has the theatre changed since you were last here?
Cal: By 2007, the theatre was in trouble financially and I was asked back to create another crowd-pleaser. The Killing of Sister George, with Jennie Eclair in the title role, was a joy to work on. During rehearsals, the theatre was empty. No staff, no box office. We pretty much put the show on ourselves. Due to the lack of publicity, it didn’t sell out as the other two shows had, but the audiences who came enjoyed it very much. I’m really looking forward to returning and making more memories at Derby Theatre.
- Your work often breaks the fourth wall and plays directly with the audience. How important is that relationship inThe39 Steps?
Cal: The 39 Steps will be a balancing act between having fun with the audience and keeping some level of realism going to serve the story. Handled well, an audience can turn on a sixpence, crying one moment and laughing the next.
- What do you hope audiences feel when they leave the theatre after this show?
Cal: I want the audience to leave the theatre still clutching their sides.
- Your career has taken you from clown training in Paris to major productions at the National Theatre and beyond. What has been the constant thread through all your work?
Cal: I feel extremely lucky to be constantly working across theatre, circus, opera, film and TV. A unique career, I think. What binds it together is comedy. I want all my projects to be really funny. Audience laughter is my favourite sound. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow that.
- Is there something about comedy, particularly physical comedy, that still surprises you?
Cal: Inevitably, as I get older, I find fewer things surprise me, but I continue to be fascinated by the skill of actors and the joy audiences feel when watching good comedy.
- If you had to describe this production ofThe39 Steps in three words, what would they be?
Cal: Nostalgic. Stylish. Hilarious.
- What’s the hardest thing to get right in a comedy like this?
Cal: I guess I’ll find out!
View the interview with Cal McCrystal here
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