Review: THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, Chichester Festival Theatre
Photo credit: Johan Persson
David Eldridge has created a very interesting and non-linear adaption of the 1963 John Le Carré novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. It is the first ever Le Carré novel to be adapted for the stage, and we are familiar with its characters and settings from the 1965 film version and multiple wonderful TV adaptations of his work. Delivered through flashbacks and imagined conversations, it creates the murky Cold War spy world where the end justifies the means, no matter the cost. It feels like we are watching pieces of a very complicated jigsaw being played out, which we have to ensemble into the wider picture of this seedy landscape in England, Berlin and East Germany until the second act where the brilliant German Democratic Republic Tribunal finally reveals the truth.
Alec Leamas (a lovely, nuanced performance from Rory Keenan) is persuaded by the head of the so-called “circus” to stay 'out in the cold for a little longer' for one last risky operation against the powerful leader and killer of the East German Secret Service , Mundt (a cold emotionless Gunnar Cauthery). His relationships with Karl (his agent), Miss Crail (a librarian), Ashe (a messenger) and with Liz (his lively communist lover played by Agnes O’Casey) are sketched out in short scenes in the half light while shadowy figures lurk in the background. Who is in charge of the operation? Is it Control (Ian Drysdale) who speaks with a steely controlled, confident delivery and yet remains detached and uncaring? Or is it Smiley, Le Carré’s masterful creation, a quiet unassuming veteran agent lurking in every scene, although supposedly on a sabbatical and constantly in Alec’s head in imagined dialogue. John Ramm effortlessly creates this enigmatic spymaster with gentle mannerisms and embodies the character despite the memory of those who have played the role before on screen.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin, on a largely empty stage dressed in a map of Europe centred on Berlin with a blood red stain pouring in from the East, it nevertheless, through Azusa Ono’s atmospheric lighting and Elizabeth Purnell’s eerie soundscape recreates this murky world of strange meetings and exchanges. It effectively draws the audience into the mystery and intrigue in a way that keeps you guessing which character is telling the truth and who is working for who!
This may be set in the Cold War of the Sixties between the West and Russia, a world unfamiliar to the younger generation but the same intrigue and double dealing seems to have returned in the 2020's with cyber-attacks, social media fake stories and random assassinations and there is a sense that these mysterious controlling figures still operate against each other in a much more dangerous way, and on a larger scale than the individual small deeds and infamy of the past. It is a scary thought emphasised by this drama.
This is an excellent piece of theatre. A wonderful adaptation of a classic novel of the genre and a very fine cast play it out in the atmospheric and intimate Minerva Theatre; more than deserving of a wider audience.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold plays at Chichester Festival Theatre until 21 September, with further info here.