IN HONOUR OF HITCH

Ryan O’Kane steps into Cary Grant’s shoes for the stage version of Alfred Hitchcock’s cinematic masterpiece North by Northwest.

W“HE’S THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG SITUATION ... A REALLY FUNNY, WITTY GUY.”

RYAN O’KANE

hen fans of North by Northwest think of the film, no doubt it brings to mind blockbuster scenes of swooping crop dusters and scaling Mount Rushmore. So upon hearing that the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece has been adapted into a play, I was immediately interested to know how these moments are achieved on stage. Ryan O’Kane – who stars as protagonist Roger O. Thornhill in the Auckland Theatre Company production of North by Northwest, but was yet to start rehearsals at the time of our interview – also confesses he’s fascinated to learn how these scenes will be brought to life. “I’m very intrigued ... it sounds like there is some real stage magic, and as someone who loves going to the theatre, I love seeing that sort of thing – the suspension of belief and really diving into the magic of what actors can achieve,” he says.

The show is making its New Zealand debut in late October, but it made its world premiere with Melbourne Theatre Company in 2015, thanks to writer Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips, a creative power couple and two of New Zealand’s most talented exports. Now Phillips has returned home to direct the Auckland Theatre Company production starring an all-Kiwi cast. “It’s quite a faithful rendition of the film onto the stage,” says Auckland

Theatre Company artistic director Jonathan Bielski. “What Simon and his team do is bring the most unbelievable ingenuity in how to stage those big centrepiece filmic moments … it has a great deal of panache and style to it. If you love the film, you’ll absolutely delight in the stage production.”

North by Northwest follows suave Madison Avenue advertising executive Thornhill, whose world is flipped upside down as a case of mistaken identity turns him into a framed fugitive and results in a suspenseful chase across the country.

“He’s the right man in the wrong situation,” says O’Kane.

“He’s a really funny, witty guy, who is not a secret agent and yet does surprisingly well [under the circumstances], and I’d say that is over to his wits and his charm and his humour. I’m hoping to really try and replicate all that stuff that Cary Grant does so well with in the film.”

O’Kane is joined on stage in North by Northwest by Antonia Prebble, in the role of cool, quick and glamorous Eve Kendall.

“There’s some really witty repartee with these characters ... these two are a match for each other intellectually and are able to have a lot of fun with the way they speak to each other,” says O’Kane.

North by Northwest rounds out the 2022 season for Auckland Theatre Company ... and what better way to end the year than with a blockbuster crowd-pleaser? “I love going to the theatre, but sometimes theatre can become a little bit niche and quite specific – I think that this play has such a broad appeal,” says O’Kane.

“In a world where we’re bombarded with Marvel this and Star Wars that and huge spectacle, this is a spectacle play. This is an action movie, a spy thriller on stage, and so to coin a phrase, this is ‘popcorn theatre’ ... you can go there and expect to have fun and see action sequences and energy and flirty banter.”

With a spectacular show comes the opportunity for O’Kane to rehearse and perform with a large cast of actors, something he is particularly looking forward to once rehearsals begin – plus, North by Northwest means he is finally able to act alongside his longtime friend, Prebble. “I’ve been hanging out for a chance to work with my friend Antonia for years now. I’m really looking forward to trying to push her, have her push me, and have some fun with these other actors as well ... because how often do you get to be in a play with such a big cast?

“And it feels like it will have to be a very tight team as well to pull this off because there are a lot of moving parts, quite literally.”

North by Northwest

ASB Waterfront Theatre

25 October – 19 November, 2022 atc.co.nz