It’s 1959, and several identically clad advertising exec types gyrate wildly on stage to a flailing choreography drawing from the twist.  Clearly, this is not your mother’s North by Northwest.

Empresaria Emma Rice is the rare producer/director/adaptor who operates a proprietary theater company, creating a flow of ingenious plays largely performed by a cadre of British and British-based artists having a long history with the company.  In this case, Rice has taken an iconic Alfred Hitchcock film, North by Northwest, and adapted it as a farcical comedy, driven by clever modifications and punchy music of the period.  Very important to the tone is the gyrating movement, of the dance variety, of throwing hips, knees, and arms laterally; and of simulated sprinting without moving forward (as opposed to “running in place” which doesn’t convey the same directionality).  The result is a handsome and winsome production that keeps the audience engaged and laughing.

It would be interesting to break out the appraisals of audience members based on whether they have seen the movie or not.  I heard one detractor (my wife!) say that they took a great movie and #!#!#!, notwithstanding that she rated the performances and staging highly.

For those not familiar with the original, the seed of the stylish, thriller storyline is that Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad man, is mistaken by spies as being George Kaplan, a U.S. government man of interest to a hostile country.  Kidnapped but escaped and trying to locate the real Kaplan, Thornhill sets out to Chicago on a train trip where he meets the alluring Eve Kendall, who will become both a love interest and a mystery.  Before long, they are near the South Dakota Badlands, and the bad guys are on the trail, but you’ll have to find the outcome on your own.

Rice’s adaptation holds closely to the original plot but creates comedy in every event, often using exaggerated dance-type movement and obvious lip synching to many period-piece songs as the basis for humor.  While the canned singing sometimes works when the voice is the opposite sex of the on-stage singer and humor is intended, I would have preferred live singing.

Groan inducing verbal gags occur throughout, especially working in the titles of movies (e.g., All About Eve) and Shakespeare quotes (e.g., “What fools these mortals be”) into the dialogue.  Sight gags are endless starting with the loose-limbed, garment fluttering movement and broad facial expressions of the two leads who are stupendous.  One of those would be Thornhill’s portrayer, the talented and energetic Danny Collins, who conveys being a successful businessman, suave ladies’ man, and mama’s boy who is forever calling home, all at the same time.

The other is a bit of a surprise that many theatergoers may miss if they don’t check the program.  The Professor, who acts as the narrator, is a petite “Mini-Me” type (from Mike Myers’s Austin Powers movies) dressed the same as Thornhill, but always wearing a hat.  Despite the gruff voice and maleness of the role, lifting the hat and unfurling the hair would reveal a very female Katy Owen.  She not only acts the part with verve, but she repeatedly and successfully engages directly with the audience to build enthusiasm.

As a road movie with endless venues, depicting them all in three dimensions on a stage is unrealistic.  Rather than backscreen projections for scenic design, Rice has chosen to symbolically use four huge mobile revolving doors, and an otherwise bare front stage having occasional props, most often suitcases with large labels indicating the location.

Cinephiles will know that few movies have two iconic scenes, but NxNW does – the four cornfield crossroads scene in which Thornhill is attacked by a cropduster airplane, and Thornhill’s gripping (literally) effort to save Eve on Mount Rushmore’s face of George Washington.  Although the play resorts to kitschy props to carry out actions like these at times, the conceit of forcing the viewer to use their own imagination to fill in the blanks works well overall.

The entire U.K. creative team directed by Rice herself excels, led by extraordinary movement, unique staging, and sharp lighting.  Sound on opening night did not always come through as intended.  Standing “O”s are not uncommon these days, and the production deserved and received one.  That said, it is targeted more for those who like low-brow humor and perhaps those who value nostalgia for the source material, despite the radical changes.

As a farce based on a thriller, not much deeper meaning is intended in NxNW, though Eve can be looked at as a prototype to 1960s feminism.  Rather disconnected from the main content, the play does close with political commentary including “Never again,” which is the Jewish mantra to protect against another holocaust, and a paean to an unnamed Hillary Clinton. While these comments seem a bit disconnected from the play, and perhaps they are added for ACT’s San Francisco audience, at least they are shared with an overwhelmingly receptive population.

Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest is adapted from the screenplay by Ernest Lehman and plays at American Conservatory Theater’s Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA through October 18, 2026.