Playgoers of Lethbridge’s “ new guy” is trying something new for their main stage production of  “The 39 Steps,” in the Yates Theatre, Feb. 12-15.

“It is based on the Hitchcock movie. It follows a brief time in the life of Richard Hannay who has just returned from Canada and is bored with his life and goes to the theatre where he becomes involved with a plot,” summarized director Stephen Graham, who is enjoying directing his first main stage production for Playgoers of Lethbridge.

“It’s a cast of hundreds played by five people,” Graham continued.
The cast includes some familiar faces including two multi-talented clowns including Ben Goodwin who plays about half of the cast of hundreds, and Clay Wyght who plays the other half, Emily Pollock, who plays several different women in the show and Justin Masson, who plays Richard. Jeff Graham plays a cameo to give the two clowns a break.

Richard is supposed to get some top secret information out of England and winds up in the moors of Scotland. Along the way he tries to elude his mysterious pursuer and meets several beautiful women along the way.

“He’s pursued by train and on foot all across England and into the moors of Scotland,” Graham described.
 “It’s a really good story. It’s coming together quite nicely. It’s very funny. Sometimes it’s hard to get through an entire rehearsal because we’re laughing so much,” he said.
 “ And Ben and Clay have so many characters, it’s hard to keep them straight,” he said.

 While it is a very old movie, originally based on a John Buchan novel set during the First World War, the movie set it just before the Second World War. The play was released in 2009.

“And John Buchan is a former Canadian governor general, who the Governor General’s Award for Literature is named after. So there is that Canadian connection,” Graham continued.

 He has been enjoying this production.
“There will be something for everybody in this play. It’s a  neat opportunity for this new guy to do something new,” he said.
Ben Goodwin is looking at the 39 Steps as way to broaden his acting skills and performance palate.
  Out of all of the characters he plays, he is enjoying  Mr. McGarrical and the professor most of all.

“Mr. McGarrical is utterly terrifying and I like the Professor because he gets a twist in the play and  that’s fun,” he enthused adding he is also enjoying playing a milkman, an old time Scottish politician and a porter, to name just a few.

“ The play starts in London and goes to Scotland, so we try to differentiate between all the places with our accents. So it is a lot of fun because there is lots of variety, ” Goodwin continued.

“As an actor it’s an amazing role because I ’m always looking to better my skills as an actor,” he continued.
 Jeff Graham, who is in most plays happening in Southern Alberta, is excited to be part of this one. He and his brother Stephen Graham will also be part of Hatrix Theatre’s production of Spamalot running at the Yates, April 15-20.

 “ This will be the third play I’ve been in with my brother. After the first one, I knew I wanted to be in more with him. He puts in an incredible amount of work into them,” he said.

“I’m just here to give the two clowns a chance to catch a breath and drink some water,” he continued.
 Justin Masson is excited to be back with Playgoers of Lethbridge.

“Richard is a man who is a little bit lost and he finds himself in the middle of a situation he never saw coming,” Masson described his character.
“He  has just returned from Canada and winds up in London  where he finds himself being chased, which is the 39 steps,” Masson continued.
‘He is a little bit of a wanderer and the story ends up being quite heartfelt,” he said.

As soon as I found out  it was the 39 Steps and that  Stephen Graham was involved, that was all it took for me to be involved,” Masson said.
“We‘re looking forward to having the audience in the theatre and building off their them for the momentum of the cast,” Masson said.
 The 39 Steps runs at 8 p.m., each night Feb. 12-15. Tickets are available at the Ticket Centre.