Jill Paice to Join the Cast of Broadway's The 39 Steps

Jill Paice, last seen in 2007’s hit musical comedy Curtains, will return to Broadway in The 39 Steps beginning June 2. The long-running Hitchcock-themed caper is currently playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Paice will replace Francesca Faridany as Annabella Schmidt, among other roles, and joins current players Sean Mahon, Arnie Burton and Jeffrey Kuhn.

In addition to Curtains, Paice has appeared on Broadway in The Woman in White. Off-Broadway credits include The Gig and Weird Romance. She played Scarlett O'Hara in the London production of Gone With the Wind and also appeared in the West End production of The Woman in White. National tours include White Christmas, Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables. Most recently, Paice starred in Ace: The Musical Adventure at Virginia’s Singature Theatre.

Based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film and novel by John Buchan, The 39 Steps is the story of Richard Hannay, who is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with the police hot on his trail. Patrick Barlow's script features a cast of four actors who, against all odds, breathlessly and hilariously reenact all of the characters, locations and famous scenes in Hitchcock’s thriller with just a few props and a lot of theatrical ingenuity and split second quick changes.

The 39 Steps originally opened as a limited engagement at the American Airlines Theatre on January 15, 2008, going on to win two Tony Awards for Sound Design and Lighting Design and the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.The show transferred to the Cort on April 29.