News: Cast Announcement for The 39 Steps UK Tour

Casting has been announced for the UK Tour of The 39 Steps. Tom Byrne will play Richard Hannay, Safeena Ladha will be Annabella Schmidt/ Pamela / Margaret, Eugene Mccoy as Clown 1 and Maddie Rice as Clown 2 (the first time this production has cast a female identifying actor as one of the Clowns), with Jacob Daniels and Hannah Parker as the understudies.  

Tom Byrne played Prince Andrew in The Crown series 4 and appeared in Bridgerton, A Discovery of Witches and Black Mirror.  He can currently be seen in BBC 3’s Dreaming Whilst Black and the new film The Persian Version released this month.  Theatre includes A Christmas Carol and Twelfth Night for the RSC. 

Safeena Ladha’s recent theatre work includes She at London’s Tara Theatre and on tour, in which she played eight characters, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby: The Immersive Show, Cassandra, Andromache and Menalaus in Troilus and Cressida (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and Coriolanus (Rose Theatre Bankside). 

Eugene McCoy appeared in the world premiere of American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre, the world premiere of Groundhog Day at the Old Vic Theatre and Legally Blonde at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.  Films include Wonka, Matilda and Paddington 2.

Maddie Rice took over from Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the stage show of Fleabag.  Other recent theatre credits include All My Sons at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Michael Grandage’s Henry V at the Noel Coward Theatre.  Her TV credits include Fleabag, Stath Lets Flats, Ten Percent, The Other One, I Hate You and the all-female sketch show Flaps. 

The 39 Steps will initially play at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 14 to 30 March 2024.  The production will then tour from Tuesday 2 April, with a Gala Night on Thursday 4 April at Richmond Theatre in London.  The tour will run through to Saturday 3 August.  Full dates and venues are listed below.

Patrick Barlow’s hilarious adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller ran in London’s West End for nine years, finally closing in 2015.  It won the Olivier Award and What’s On Stage Award for Best Comedy in 2007.  It also took Broadway by storm, winning two Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award in 2008.  The play, with its quintessentially plucky spirit and dashing sense of British fun, has toured to 39 countries and played to over 3 million people worldwide.

Follow the incredible adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women.

This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy thriller features four fearless actors, playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

The 2024 UK Tour is brought to the stage by UK tour director Nicola Samer, with the original creative team of designer Peter McKintosh, lighting designer Ian Scott, sound designer Mic Pool and director of movement Toby Sedgwick.  Casting is by Abby Galvin.  The tour is a remount of the award-winning production directed by Maria Aitken and adapted by Patrick Barlow.  

Tour Schedule

14-30 March : Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

 2-6 April: Richmond Theatre, London

 9-13 April: Newcastle Theatre Royal

 23-27 April: New Theatre, Cardiff

 30 April – 4 May: Sheffield Lyceum

 7-11 May: Cambridge Arts Theatre

 14-18 May: Malvern Festival Theatre

 21-25 May: Cheltenham Everyman Theatre

 28 May – 1 June: Theatre Royal, Glasgow

4-8 June: Birmingham The Alexandra

11-15 June: Oxford Playhouse

18-22 June: Norwich Theatre Royal

 25 – 29 June : Theatre Royal Bath

 2-6 July: The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

16-20 July: Brighton Theatre Royal

23-27 July: York Grand Opera House

31 July – 3 August: Curve, Leicester