Dianne Pilkington, currently appearing as the good witch Glinda in the musical Wicked until the end of March, is to join the cast of The 39 Steps from 26 April.
Pilkington, who has been playing Glinda in the Apollo Victoria’s blockbuster musical for more than two and a half years, will swap her magic wand for stockings and suspenders when she takes on the triple role of Annabella Schmidt, Pamela and Margaret in the fast-paced comedy.
In addition to Wicked, Pilkington’s credits include Cats, The Far Pavilions, Beauty And The Beast and Taboo.
Pilkington will appear in an entirely new cast that also comprises David Bark-Jones as Hannay and Timothy Speyer and Jeremy Swift as the two clowns.
Based on the novel by John Buchan and the Alfred Hitchcock 1935 film, The 39 Steps is a comedy romp through the adventures of the dashing Richard Hannay, whose dull London life is spiced up no end by the murder of a woman in his apartment. Framed for the killing, Hannay flees to Scotland on the hunt for the mysterious 39 Steps, in the hope he can clear his name. Along the way he meets a multitude of curious characters.
The four cast members play a rumoured 139 characters during the show, which stages every famous scene from the Hitchcock film, including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge and the bi-plane crash.
The 39 Steps opened at the Criterion theatre in September 2006 after transferring from the West Yorkshire Playhouse and London’s Tricycle theatre. It won the 2007 Best New Comedy Laurence Olivier Award.
CB