Alfred Hitchcock Geek Goes to Broadway

The Master of Suspense -- now on Broadway!

If you've been following me on Twitter, you might have heard the exciting news. On September 1, I'll be delivering a brief lecture and discussion following a performance of the hit play The 39 Steps. I'm going to Broadway, baby!

Here's how the producers describe the show:

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have THE 39 STEPS, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance!

Did you catch that? Four actors playing 150 characters. I'm guessing the backstage action would have to be crazier than anything happening under the spotlight. That's where I come in, believe it or not.

Following each Tuesday's performance, they host a post-show presentation called Talkback Tuesday. Audience members can stick around to hear Hitchcock experts, actors, comedians and others talk about the play. Other hosts have included include Saturday Night Live comedian Rachel Dratch, Hitchcock scholars Murray Pomerance and Sid Gottlieb and, now, yours truly.

I will speak for a few minutes on some kind of scholarly subject. Perhaps I'll discuss the novelist John Buchan, whose book The Thirty-Nine Steps provided the basis for Hitchcock's movie and whose others works exerted a big influence on the director. Check back here for a sneak preview.

Following that, the actors will come out on stage and I'll moderate a discussion between them and the audience as they talk about the play, the multiple costume changes, etc. Sounds like a really fun night. And who knows where it will lead? After all, if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere!