Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Today; ‘John Buchan’s 39 Steps’ at Prime Stage (Sun., 5/7/23)

1) You don’t need to be a runner to enjoy all the festivities of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend. The fun starts bright and early at 7 a.m. for the full, half, and relay marathon runners. As a spectator, though, you get your choice of entertainment, depending on where you decide to park yourself on the course. Many musicians will be projecting their pipes along the route to keep spirits high, and every neighborhood that the races passes through offers some great acts. You can check out a map of the course here, then pick your favorite spot to cheer on the runners—whether it’s in South Side, Oakland, Shadyside, Bloomfield, or elsewhere. Downtown and surrounding communities.

John Buchan’s THE 39 STEPS (parody) by Patrick Barlow. Prime Stage. May 5 – 14. 

2) Alfred Hitchcock’s black-and-white thriller about a man pursued by sinister spies has been remade several times but for many years hadn’t been properly parodied. In 2005 the English comedian and playwright Patrick Barlow took care of that. His madcap play won an Olivier Award (the British equivalent of a Tony) for Best New Comedy. It has become an audience favorite on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in cities from Shanghai to Montevideo. Barlow’s send-up of The 39 Steps is officially titled John Buchan’s The 39 Steps, after the author of the novel that Hitchcock adapted for the screen. (Got that?) Since the play uses only four actors for 150 roles, there’s a lot of high-speed shuffling, which helps to build a comic energy that parrots the suspenseful energy of the movie. Even for those who have never seen the movie, theater audiences will recognize many of Hitchcock’s famous film traits. Indeed, The 39 Steps (1939) was one of his first spy thrillers. 2:30 p.m. At the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Northside. (M.V.)

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