Take a John Buchan spy novel published in 1915, add an Alfred Hitchcock film adaptation, and morph it into a comedic play with more than 150 characters played by only four actors.

That's The 39 Steps, which will be performed April 20-29 at the Kean Theatre on the St. Barnabas campus in Richland Township.

This two-time Tony and Drama Desk award-winning play is packed with laughs, zany characters, an onstage plane crash and romance. 

In the Kean Theatre production, Richard Hannay is played by Stephan Lingenfelter of Butler. Annabella Schmidt, Pamela and Margaret are played by Kristen Scannell of Franklin Park. Collectively playing more than 100 roles as Clowns No. 1 and 2 are Gregory Caridi of Bloomfield and Jason Bernard of Pittsburgh.

The 39 Steps is directed and produced by Tom Madden, managing and artistic director of the Kean Theatre.

It will be staged at 8 p.m on Fridays and Saturdays—April 20-21 and 27-28. The cost is $23 for the show. If theater-goers choose to enjoy dinner at the Mount Vernon Restaurant, which is in the same building as the Kean Theatre, then the cost for dinner and the show is $45.

Sunday matinees will be staged at 2 p.m. on April 22 and 29. Tickets cost $21. An optional luncheon will take place at the Kean Theatre’s Mount Vernon Restaurant at 12:30 p.m.; cost for lunch and the show is $43.

Tickets and series packages are available by calling 724-444-5326 (KEAN) or visiting www.keantheatre.com.

Proceeds from the Kean Theatre benefit the St. Barnabas Free Care Fund, which in 2011 provided more than $5.2 million to poor and low-income residents at St. Barnabas Nursing Home, Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas and The Arbors at St. Barnabas.

—Submitted by Shelli Sommariva and Megan Hoffman on behalf of St. Barnabas Health System. If you have news and photos you'd like to share, please send them to Editor Cindy Cusic Micco at cindy.micco@patch.com.