You may already be familiar with The Spy Who Came In From the Cold – John le Carré’s seminal spy novel from 1963 was swiftly adapted into a major film in 1965 starring Richard Burton – although somewhat surprisingly, none of the author’s stories have ever made it to the stage. Until now, that is: adapted by playwright David Eldridge, this production was first staged in 2024 at the Chichester Festival Theatre and has now transferred to London’s West End at the @sohoplace theatre. It is directed by three-time Olivier Award winner Jeremy Herrin.
So what’s it all about? Set during the height of the Cold War, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold tells the tale of British spy Alec Leamus (Rory Keenan), who is exhausted from a life of espionage and eager to leave it all behind; however, his superiors persuade him to take on one final mysterious mission, which he reluctantly accepts. What follows is two hours of plotting, deception and ambiguity, as Alec navigates a divided Europe from both sides of the Iron Curtain.
Many elements of this production work extremely well. The in-the-round setting of the @sohoplace is perfect for a show whose protagonist is aware that his every move is being scrutinised, and the cast taking on multiple roles helps add a layer of ambiguity. In a story where characters aren’t always who they first seem, and where Leamus questions whether he has seen people before, having actors play multiple parts is surprisingly effective.
We did have a couple of bugbears, however. The pacing is a little off – especially in act two – and we felt as though there was a little too much exposition. John le Carré writes with a lot of detail, but we don’t always need as much on stage: we’d have preferred more action over exposition. Scenes where the dramatic stakes are high – like in the courtroom – work very well, but it’s a bit of a slow burn to eventually get there. We also found it difficult to warm to many of the characters: of course, as spies, they often give little away, but we still felt a better balance could have been struck.
Don’t get us wrong – we enjoyed our evening with The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. At its heart is a cracking story which makes for compelling viewing, and the staging is frequently effective. There’s room for improvement, for sure, but it’s an entertaining piece of theatre nonetheless.
GAY TIMES gives The Spy Who Came In From the Cold – 3/5
More information can be found here.
Latest
