Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques. 

This review contains spoilers.

Starting a review with a comparison to another play is perhaps the easiest indicator of poor arts journalism. That said, I will do it anyway:

As I watched “North By Northwest” (a stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 mistaken identity thriller) at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco, I couldn’t help but wish I was watching the 2005 stage adaptation of “The 39 Steps.”

Patrick Barlow’s four-hander turns the 1935 Hitchcock mystery on its head, instead delivering a delightful farce. The highly stylized romp is full of wacky physical humor, often involving actors rapidly switching between characters. While it is not the greatest play of all time, it’s an absolute blast.

“North By Northwest,” which tells the story of Roger Thornhill, a man who is chased by various entities after he is mistaken for a government agent, attempts to offer the same experience with little success. The plot is confusing, the two-and-a-half-hour runtime is unbearable and there is very little (if any) pathos to be found. Instead, the show is built around goofy movement (e.g., the spy-themed dance sequence that opens the show) and over-the-top performances. I heard a couple chuckles from the back of the crowd, but they appeared to demonstrate recognition of things that were meant to be jokes rather than true amusement.

A.C.T. advertises Emma Rice’s adaptation as a “riotously funny high-speed theatrical ride,” but I disagree with every element of that description. The play moves fast, but it is too dense to engage the imagination. It never quite feels like we are along for the ride. Even if the show is theatrical in its presentational style and creative use of space, something feels off about its existence as a play. It doesn’t have the meat to serve as a night out, even compared to other trivial comedies.

Perhaps the show should be approached less as a comedy and more as a ride, as A.C.T. describes it. However, I do not even believe “North by Northwest” earns that classification since it fails to provide ups and downs that spark a sense of whimsy.

My primary issue with the show is not its shallow intent but its uninspired zaniness. The show randomly includes characters lip-syncing to songs vaguely related to moments in the story. The interludes in are weird for the sake of weirdness and entirely unrelated to the world Hitchcock created in the film. I did not hear a single laugh during these segments and they did not advance the plot, themes or character arcs, which just made me sit and wonder why I hadn’t left the theater.

Which is not to say that every play needs to consistently delight viewers. I appreciate when my patience is rewarded as an audience member. Perhaps that is actually my main issue with “North by Northwest”: it lacks the substance and suspense to justify anything other than a hootin’ hollerin’ great time, which it does not provide.

“North by Northwest” closes October 18. If you would like to judge the show for yourself, get tickets here.