Review: DR STRANGELOVE, Noel Coward Theatre
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr Strangelove is regarded by some as one of the best satirical comedies ever made. Now Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley have adapted it for the stage but does this classic, which satirises the Cold War fear of nuclear conflict, translate to modern day?
The story centres on the actions on United States Air Force General Ripper who has a mental breakdown and launches a pre-emptive missile strike on the Soviet Union. Chaos ensues in the Pentagon War Room as President Merkin Muffley and his officials, including nuclear advisor and ex-Nazi Dr Strangelove, attempt to recall the bombers and prevent the start of World War Three.
Released just 18 months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, dark comedy Dr Strangelove captured the zeitgeist of early 1960s America. Of course, this same geopolitical tension and fear of nuclear war does not exist in 2024 but on the eve of the US Presidential Election and in an age of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, this is equally not a time of political stability. This also explains why Iannucci, the creator of political satires such as The Thick of It and Veep, feels now is a necessary moment to adapt the classic. Perhaps the production is intended as both a homage and a warning sign. Iannucci and Foley, who also directs, have taken a wealth of inspiration from the film. However, a few clever additions, which fit seamlessly into the script, ensure the story is just as funny but also relevant for a modern and potentially younger audience, who did not live during the Cold War. A line referencing a President who will not concede an election got an especially large laugh.
The 1964 film was a vehicle for Peter Sellers to demonstrate his acting talents by playing three of the primary characters. In this production, Steve Coogan goes one better and plays four characters: Captain Mandrake, President Muffley, Major TJ Kong, and the titular Dr Strangelove, exhibiting why he is a seven-time BAFTA Award winner. The success of such a format rests almost entirely on the performance of its lead actor, but Coogan rises to the challenge with ease. He is magnificent switching between accents and characters with hardly a moment to breathe. However, this multi-roling, which is so central to the film, is certainly more complicated on stage and does lead to a few clunky moments. In scenes when President Muffley and Dr Strangelove appear in the same scene, Muffley instead takes phone calls upstage.
Coogan is joined by a brilliant cast who open the show with a wonderful rendition of ‘Try a Little Tenderness.’ This unexpected intro gives us a taste of what is to come: a cast dedicated to delivering maximum hilarity even when you are not sure you should laugh. Giles Terera uses his physicality to perfection as the incredulous General Buck Turdigson and John Hopkins is dazzlingly deranged as General Ripper, the catalyst for the play’s events. Richard Dempsey adds a sprinkle of camp as Frank rushing to source fresh fish for Tony Jayawardena’s paranoid Russian Ambassador Bakov.
The production value of Dr Strangelove is exceptional. Designed by Hildegard Bechtler, there are clear references to the film in the impressive set including the War Room complete with its big board charting the course of the missiles. However, the oversized table, around which a considerable proportion of the action takes place, means that your focus is directed towards the back of the stage. Music is also essential to the tongue in cheek spirit of this show. The slick scene changes are accompanied by an arrangement of ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home’ and the show ends with a rendition of ‘We’ll Meet Again’, beautifully sung by Penny Ashmore. In the closing moments, we get the memorable image of the cowboy hat wearing Major TJ Kong straddling a missile as he falls to his death, a fitting end to this ridiculous but cautionary story.
Dr Strangelove is a sensationally silly show that brings the dark humour and terrifying truths of a Cold War classic to a new generation.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck