Scene from "The 39 Steps" at Whittier Community Theatre (Photo courtesy of the theatre) The historic Whittier Community Theater, now in its 102nd season, is staging a wonderful rendition of Patrick Barlow’s “The 39 Steps.” Barlow adapted his 2005 play from John Buchan’s 1915 novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film based on it — but uses only four actors to play dozens of roles in a fast-paced, comedic style. Susan Hunter Eiden directs the tight ensemble on a stage set simply with a double...

From left: Sawyer Reece Maier, Abel Miramontes and Paul Burt in Alchemy Theatre Company's "Murder on the Orient Express" (Photo by Katelyn Abaya) All aboard! Present your tickets for a first-class ride through “Murder on the Orient Express,” adapted by Ken Ludwig from Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name and fantastically presented by Alchemy Theatre Company at the Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center. World-famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (superbly played by Abel Miramontes) is...

From left: Sean Bell, Leo Roberts, Major Attaway, Blake Segal, Chris Collins-Pisano and Ellis C. Dawson III in "Spamalot" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman) “’Tis but a flesh wound!” —Th e Black Knight So funny, so good, so many laughs. If you know Monty Python, you’ll know the British comedy troupe’s 1975 movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and in “Spamalot,” you get to see it on stage as a musical that garnered several Tony nominations in...