July 14, 2011 — On Thursday, Heritage Theatre Festival will open "The 39 Steps," a whodunit that offers a playful nod to some of Sir Alfred Hitchcock's most classic films while weaving its own roller-coaster mystery, complete with wild chases, narrow escapes, femme fatales and much more.

Four actors play more than 140 characters in this hyper-speed comedy that combines the intrigue of classic mystery with supreme silliness.

Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock, "The 39 Steps" will be presented from July 21 to 23 and on Aug. 2 and 5, with a 2 p.m. matinee on July 23. The show is directed by John Paul Scheidler, known to Heritage audiences as one of the stars of the popular "Tuna" series and fresh off a starring role in this summer's Heritage production of "Boeing-Boeing."

Tickets – $26, $22 for seniors and U.Va. faculty and staff, and $15 for students – are available at the U.Va. Arts Box Office in the Drama Building, online at www.uvahtf.org or by calling 434-924-3376.

The 2011 Heritage Theatre Festival will conclude with the romantic musical "She Loves Me," opening July 28.