Springfest returns to Holmes Beach Island Players presents ‘The 39 Steps’

The Island Players continues its 74th season with ‘The 39 Steps,’ a comedic adaptation of the Hitchcock classic film.

BY JASON SCHAFFER SUN CORRESPONDENT jschaffer@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA - Coming off a hilarious run of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple, The Female Version,” the Island Players are ready to take the audience for a ride across England and Scotland to stop an international gang of spies, with four actors playing more than 150 characters in a comedic adaptation of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, “The 39 Steps.”

Director Heiko Knipfelberg promises that audiences will see things they aren’t used to seeing at an Island Players production, including special lighting and sound effects and non-stop action. When asked to describe how an Alfred Hitchcock film could become a zany comedy, Knipfelberg offered this quote from The New York Times to sum it up: “Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python, and you have ‘The 39 Steps.’ ”

The play is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan, but the Hitchcock film is at its core.

“The authors of the play included most of the film, almost verbatim in a stage production,” Knipfelberg said. “They’ve taken license in certain areas, certainly in the way they’ve used the characters. We have a female lead who plays three characters and a male lead who plays himself throughout the whole play, but then we have two clowns who play about 60 characters each. Unlike Hitchcock’s version, this is very much a comedy.”

“The 39 Steps” runs from Thursday, March 9 through Sunday, March 26, with daily performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday mati- nee at 2 p.m. There are no performances on Mondays. Tickets are $25 at the box office and $27 online. The box office is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and can be reached by phone at 941778-5755 or online at www. theislandplayers.org.

Professional artists and crafts persons from across the U.S. will gather the weekend of March 18-19 for the 35th Annual Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts.

Sponsored by the Anna Maria Island Art League, this juried show draws top-quality artists to city field in Holmes Beach.

The hours are Saturday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

The family event features continuous live music on stage Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Koko Ray’s Uptown 4 and a food court offering a variety of food and beverages.

A highlight of the festival is a gala raffle of artwork donated by festival exhibitors. Proceeds benefit the League’s scholarship fund, which provides classes to children and adults. The raffle gives everyone a chance to collect great art for a small donation. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and winners need to be present to win.

Springfest is the major fundraiser for the League, a nonprofit, tax-deductible organization dedicated to fostering the arts on the Island.

For more information, call 941-778-2099, email artleagueami@gmail.com or visit the website, www.islandartleague.org/festivals/.