Clever one-man performance of popular thriller

5 hours ago
2 min read

Jonathan Goodwin. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The 39 Steps. Performed by Jonathan Goodwin at The Cidermill Theatre, Chipping Camden, Friday 13 February 2026. Written and directed by Jonathan Goodwin.

Review by Charles Essex

Although published as a thriller in 1915, John Buchan’s The 39 Steps has become much better known to audiences as a highly successful comedic play, with four actors playing numerous parts. It was refreshing, and brave, of Jonathan Goodwin to perform his own version of the original story as a one-man show.

Jonathan remained spotlighted in the centre of the stage, with very few props, almost none of which he used, and made virtually no movement on stage. Instead, he ingeniously painted pictures with words, tones of voice and accents, and facial expressions. He told the story predominantly through the eyes of Richard Hannay, the hero, but seamlessly became other characters with a variety of accents and mannerisms. He portrayed Scudder, the American, who told him of the threat from foreign agents, with nervous shaking hands and dialogue. Other characters Hannay encountered were Cockneys, Scottish, or upper-class toffs.

Each quickly came and went, none distracting from Hannay’s tale. These brief characterisations allowed Jonathan to escalate the tension as he was pursued across the length and breadth of the country. He conveyed the exasperation and frustration he felt as he realised that his pursuers were closing in, and then later as they seemed to be about to escape justice.

Jonathan had a delightful humorously engaging manner with some gentle teasing of the audience yet drawing them in and engrossing them with his story telling. He told the story with an assured fluency. The plot had rather too many holes to follow convincingly, to explain connections and the hows and the whys of how Hannay appeared to meet the right – or wrong – people at the right or wrong time. However, this enjoyable evening’s revival of a renowned and popular story will have prompted audience members to reread the book or find a copy of the 1935 Hitchcock film or the later 1959 film.