The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Theatre Royal Brighton
until 6th June
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel by John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer. As with le Carré’s previous novels Call for the Dead and A Murder of Quality, the novel features the fictitious British intelligence organisation, “The Circus”, and its agent George Smiley.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold portrays Western espionage methods as morally inconsistent with Western democracy and values. The novel received critical acclaim at the time of its publication and became an international best-seller; it was selected as one of the 100 Best Novels by Time magazine in 2005.
For the first time one of le Carré’s novels has been adapted for the stage and there may be a very good reason why this has not been attempted before. I’ve read a few of his books and they are far from easy to follow, however, David Eldridge’s script which slowly introduces the characters along with their political backgrounds is clear and concise and Jeremy Herrin’s taut and stylish direction give the audience a chance to understand the complex plot without necessarily having a basic knowledge of the world of Smiley.
The design by Max Jones is suitably stark with the Berlin Wall dominating upstage together with a haunting searchlight. Unfortunately, a giant map on the stage’s floor is completely unseen if like me you are sitting in the stalls. There are rows and rows of underused interrogation lamps although the general lighting design by Azusa Ono is very atmospheric. Paul Englishby’s subtle, claustrophobic and unimposing soundtrack is outstanding as are the costumes also by Jones.
Acting honours go to Ralf Little who is a genuine revelation as Alec Leamas – his performance restores my confidence that actors known for television appearances can sometimes perform on stage as well – Nicholas Murchie as the slightly sinister Control, Tony Turner as Smiley himself and in particular, Eddie Toll as Fiedler whose side we are never quite sure he is on.
Book and film adaptations are never easy and this one is by no means perfect, however, this ‘Circus’ is so much better than so many that have recently come to town.
Reviewer: Patric Kearns
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calling at: Brighton, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and York