ELLENVILLE — “The 39 Steps,” showing now through July 9 at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, is a riotous sendup of much of Alfred Hitchcock’s vast body of work, including his film of the same name. 

Performed by four actors at The Studio at Shadowland Stages, the play, adapted by Patrick Barlow, follows the script of Hitchcock’s film pretty closely. Richard Hannay, portrayed by the dashing and talented Eric Bryant, gets mixed up in a plot with murderous spies, traipsing through England, Ireland and Scotland during his mad dash to evade the murderers and solve the mystery of the elusive 39 steps mentioned by one of the characters before they die. Along the way, he meets Annabella / Pamela / Margaret, played by the lovely and versatile Laura Cable. Of course, she complicates his life and the plot. 

Playing hundreds of supernumeraries – spies, police, railroad porters, hotel owners, performers, and even at times some inanimate objects – are Jessica Lopez-Barkl and Andy McCain. These two supremely talented actors leave you breathless with their quick changes (both in costume and character), adapting almost instantaneously to the situation at hand. Sometimes they’re even playing more than one character at the same time in the same scene. 

The play makes hilarious references to many other Hitchcock classics, among them the film of the same name, “Strangers on a Train,” “Rear Window,” “Vertigo” and “North by Northwest.” In order to do this, the production team, consisting of Director Brandan Burke, Assistant Director Michael Frederic, Technical Director Peter Johnson, Production Stage Manager Nicole Caroselli, Assistant Stage Manager Brett Owen, Sound Designer Jeff Knapp, Lighting Designer Jeremy Johnson, Costume Designer Christina English, Costume Assistant Holly Budd, and Wig Designer Cindy Johnson had to be creative, inventive, imaginative and resourceful. They are superbly victorious, resulting in hilarity throughout, especially when the scene involves a door, a window, or running away from a couple of biplanes. You get the picture. It’s Hitchcock on steroids, with perhaps a little LSD thrown in for good measure. 

There is only one issue on which “The 39 Steps” stumbles. The accents. Since the characters are making lightning-fast dashes through parts of Europe, the production requires three of the actors to not only change costumes and characters, but also use accents from whatever country they happen to be in. While it’s admirable that the characters are so multitalented, unfortunately, the accents are often way too heavy and the dialogue too fast. Combine that with the fact that there was an awful lot of shouting - way too much shouting and yelling … well, let’s just say I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t comprehend what the actors were saying, as evidenced by several audience members who spoke to me after the show and told me they had a hard time understanding certain scenes, and didn’t know what was going on. 

That being said, “The 39 Steps” is still a theatrical experience worthy of your attendance. Laughs galore, stunning creativity, overwhelming talent by both cast and production team. The play won several awards during its initial run including the Olivier, Drama Desk, two Tonys and more. 

“The 39 Steps” is playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through July 9 at The Studio at Shadowland Stages, 14 Market Street in Ellenville. Call the box office at 845-647-5511 for tickets.