Robert Thornhill is just another advertising man. But when a poorly timed phone call with his mother entangles him in a Cold War conspiracy, he’s thrust into a high-stakes cross-country chase. Such is the setup in North by Northwest (1959), an Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. Trains and planes, cornfields and cliffs, not to mention a lot of spies—all take the stage in a new musical adaptation by Emma Rice. It’s a busy year for Rice, whose recent production of The Buddha of Suburbia is set to transfer to London’s Barbican, while her adaptation of Wuthering Heights continues its international tour. In North by Northwest, which she also directs, a 1950s soundtrack fuels the action as six actors bring the thriller to life. —Jeanne Malle

Travels to: North by Northwest will tour the U.K. through June 22, 2025