Weaverham High School's production of The Thirty-Nine Steps

Patrick Barlow’s comic adaptation of The Thirty-Nine Steps is an ambitious choice for a school production: the pace is dizzying; the humour is quite grown-up in a silly-sophisticated sort of way; and getting the story across depends on smartly planned and executed sound, lighting and other effects. But rest assured, these talented young performers and stage managers had all this in the bag.  

Huge energy, a passion for performance, and a sheer will for perfection shone out of each and every one of these youngsters on Wednesday night, with not a single line fluffed or a single position missed from start to finish.

In fact, everything about this production, from the assured, imaginitive and genuinely funny principal performances, the modern, stripped-back staging, atmospheric dance numbers, to the meticulous sound and lighting effects, all confirmed the fact that a very high bar had been set at Weaverham, and that everyone involved had kept their focus right through to the very end.

Hannay, on the run, is confronted (Image: Newsquest)

Angelou Karpusheff as ‘the dark wavey-haired, piercingly blue-eyed and dashingly pencil-moustached’ Richard Hannay really captured the essence of a rich, ex-colonial cad and man of leisure whose public school patriotism is never very far from the surface.

Josh Martin’s impressively energetic performance as Mr Memory deserves a mention. Alone at the front of the stage, his clear need to wring every little drop of fun out of what is, in terms of time on stage, one of the smaller principle roles, means his efforts will not soon be forgotten.  

Likewise Madison Dyson as the worldly and indulgent hotelkeeper, Mrs McGarrigle. Her performance was truly daring in both its energy and outrageously affected Scottishness, and it came off an absolute treat.

All this made for a truly and entertaining evening, but it was also quite touching. To see so many young people who, at a time in their lives when they have so many competing demands for their time and attention, manage to pull off something so polished and professional was a genuine privilege.