The 39 Steps at Boston Center for the Arts

Alfred Hitchcock and Monty Python collide in The 39 Steps, a hilarious spy-melodrama-turned-comedy that toys with all the best tropes -- a beautiful woman with a mysterious past, a murder, a nationwide manhunt and a nefarious ring of spies. It's equal parts adventure, romance and absurdity. Moonbox Productions cues up a cast of more than 150 characters ... played by just four actors. And as the plot thickens on the the BCA Plaza Theatre stage, you'll witness a series of death-defying leaps (all from short distances) and behold an array of dazzling special effects (all pulled from a steamer trunk).