If you’re thinking that the fast-paced comedy, “Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps,” now being staged by Eastern Michigan University’s theatre department, might be a workout for actors, you’d be right.

“Here’s a footnote in the script: ‘Quite a lot of this show depends on your actors’ level of Olympian fitness. It has proved an invaluable aid to weight loss,’” said director Ken Stevens via e-mail.

Part of the “39 Steps” workout comes from the fact that only 4 actors present a story that involves about 150 characters. Adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, who drew inspiration from Hitchcock’s 1935 film and John Buchan’s 1915 novel of the same name, “The 39 Steps” premiered in London in 2005.

“I have been a longtime fan of Hitchcock, parody and burlesque,” said Stevens. “When I first heard about the show in 2006, it was being done in London. It was intriguing to think of the entire show being done with four actors, but not enough though to warrant a trip to London.”

The play’s story hews closely to Hitchcock’s film, focusing on a bored man, Richard Hannay, who meets a woman with a thick accent who claims to be a spy. When she turns up murdered in his home, Hannay becomes the object of a fast-paced, far-reaching manhunt.

“The 39 Steps” debuted on Broadway in 2008, but Stevens never got the chance to see that celebrated production, either.

“Last year I read a news article that raved about a revival and decided to order a copy of the script,” said Stevens. “It was of course a great read and got me thinking of ways of making all the pastiche and lampooning work. It went on the ‘to do’ list.”

But as the old saw attests, comedy can be far more difficult to work with than drama.

“There are all of the challenges that come with good comedy: getting the most from the language; rhythm; tempo and syntax; double entendre, etc.,” said Stevens. “Physical timing, finding the right balance between believable characters and caricature. ‘The 39 Steps’ is, of course, cinematic in style, and much of the fun is making it work in real time and three dimensions. Sound and lighting are very important.”

Stevens noted that “The 39 Steps” fits into a British tradition of poking fun at popular and classic works of art.

“In this country, (we) certainly inherited the love of parody, and our vaudeville burlesque traditions expanded it,” said Stevens. “Who could resist lampooning Hitchcock? Even he couldn’t resist.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.