Dianne Pilkington Will Jump from London Cast of Wicked to The 39 Steps

Dianne Pilkington, who is currently starring as Glinda in the London production of Wicked, will join The 39 Steps as Annabella Schmidt, Pamela and Margaret, beginning April 26. Also joining the West End’s longest running comedy will be David Bark-Jones as Richard Hannay and Timothy Speyer and Jeremy Swift as Man 1 & 2. The 39 Steps will celebrate its 1,500th London performance on May 5 at the Criterion Theatre, directed by Maria Aitken.

Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the 1935 Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps follows the adventures of dashingly handsome hero Richard Hannay as he goes on the run from police (after being accused of murder), dodges double-crossing secret agents and becomes entangled with several devastatingly beautiful women. Four actors play a total of more than 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun.

Pilkington previously starred as Grizabella in Cats, Belinda in The Far Pavilions, Mary in Tonight’s the Night, Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Kim Taboo. Bark-Jones has appeared onstage in The Forrest and Dealer’s Choice and in the films Rocknrolla and The Da Vinci Code.

Speyer, currently playing Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Rose in Kingston, appeared on The Impressions Show with Culshaw & Stephenson and the BBC’s The Hutton Inquiry. Swift appeared in the West End in Abigail’s Party, starred in The Smoking Room and played Mr. Bumble in Roman Polanski’s film of Oliver Twist.