Hometown Tourist

I braved the heart of Piccadilly Circus last night to catch a performance of The 39 Steps at the Criterion, and I can honestly say that I've never felt like more of a tourist than in the walk over.  I had half a mind to have my picture taken in front of Eros, but fortunately the other half saved the day and hastened me along to the theatre before any more dangerous thoughts struck.  For those of you who don't know, the production, which has been going on for God knows how long, is a spoof of Hitchcock's film from the 30s, and is said to have a cast of four, which I'd have thought was under-egging it a bit, but experience fortunately proved otherwise.  Not only were four actors perfectly adequate for the performance, but the minimalist attitude in casting  inspired a host of clever staging tricks that kept the onlookers amused and the exit doors motionless.  The story took a bit of a knock, but I assume the play was crafted with the expectation that most everyone in the audience will have seen the film, and the writers provided just enough in the way of plot to keep the uninitiated abreast of the goings on.  The woman behind me certainly enjoyed herself, and so did the young lady to my left, whose opinion I respect and, in this case at any rate, share.