Emma Rice Delivers 50s Fashion with Cheeky Humor

by Mary Lou Herlihy

Director Emma Rice takes playful liberties with Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller film North by Northwest. Rice’s wacky, non-stop parody of cold war espionage mixes Mad Men stylings with madcap comedy for big laughs. In her world, as ours, ‘Global Security’ is the biggest joke of all!

I laughed out loud at the sexy synchronized movements of three passengers mimicking a curvy road with their bodies. I was surprised by ‘spontaneous’ song and dance numbers and hilarious sight gags. And mountains of mid-century suitcases come packed with amusements. 

The stylish set is dominated by four elegant, wooden revolving doors, stretching twenty feet high. The rolling structures transform into sky scrapers, hotel doors, a jail, and boozy bars full of colorful cocktails. An endless row of pale and dark colored suits remind us that this is a man’s world. Mysterious characters emerge from behind the suits in ever-changing identities. 

The entertaining and sometimes annoying Professor/narrator (wiley Katy Owen) makes sure we are paying attention. There WILL be a quiz! Small in stature and big on charm, Owen employs impressive physical comedy and improvisation as she confronts the audience. It’s a wild vaudeville ride that keeps us guessing.

Rice’s spirited direction of the agile ensemble steals the show. Sometimes subtle, other times hysterical, the actors never stop moving. Whether crooning to a lip-synced version of Judy Garland singing “Forget Your Troubles” or dancing, Fosse style, these rubber-limbed actors twist, slide, and leap into our hearts.

Dashing Roger Thornhill (cool Danny Collins) finds himself in a Kafkaesque nightmare of mistaken identity. The more he tries to convince his “evil Russian” tormentors of his innocence, the more entangled he becomes. Executing brilliant moves, Roger continues to evade capture from the ‘baddies’ and the police. But clever Roger gets tricked by seductress Eve Kendall (sophisticated Patrycja Kujawska) during a steamy train ride. The cold war veils all reason.

The evil Spymaster Vandamm (hilarious Karl Queensborough) also plays Roger’s mother in drag, with a mustache. The complicated Russians vs. American story twists and turns, with marvelous, comic portrayals of gay spy Valerian (versatile Simon Oskarsson) and Anna (bouyant Bryony Pennington), his love-sick co-spy. 

Whimsical staging of famous scenes from the film had me in stitches. A fiery car wreck, hilariously represented by actors twirling red and orange ribbons on a stick, offers just one of many cheeky delights. Suitcases overflow with surprises–even water. 

A woman in a red trench coat, surrounded by others in light coats and dark glasses stands in for the United Nations. Old fashioned phones on cords stretch from her pockets to delegates who speak in many languages, creating a parody of the U.N. Now we’re getting close to home.

As the ‘real players’ meet in New York for the 81st Session of the U.N., I wonder, are they all lying spies? Are they weaving mistrust, while supposedly building and promoting so-called “GLOBAL SECURITY”? Cold and hot wars mask many truths. The trickery continues.

North by Northwest is loaded with secrets and lies…and lots of theatrical humor. “So forget your troubles, come on, get happy!”

“Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest”—adapted & directed by Emma Rice, based on Turner Entertainment Co. film North by Northwest, scenic & costume design by Rob Howell, lighting by Malcolm Rippeth, composer & sound designer Simon Baker, movement & choreography by Etta Murfitt, co-produced by Emma Rice Company, Manchester, & American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco.

Info: act-sf.org – to October 18, 2026.

Cast: Danny Collins, Evangeline Dickson, Patrycja Kujawska, Simon Oskarsson, Katy Owen, Bryony Pennington, Karl Queensborough, and Sam Archer.

Banner photo: Katy Owen (Professor). Photo by Steve Tanner