Review: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold at Lyceum Theatre

“Brilliantly entertaining…an edge-of-the-seat thriller…“

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré adapted by David Eldridge, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

By Phil Scown

Cold War thrillers by John Le Carré have dense plots.  There are twists and turns.  Machiavellian characters might sit at Whitehall desks, or be out in the field.  Those books are engaging, but they are long and involved.  Adapting such stories for the stage is a challenge.  Adapting them for a performance of less than two hours is even more of one.  This is why, of necessity, there is a certain amount of exposition at various points in act one.  The role of narrator is taken by Alec Leamas (Ralf Little) and George Smiley (Tony Turner), sometimes in rapid-fire dialogue.  The play properly settles down after this.  David Eldridge, who wrote the stage adaptation, might have had an easier task if thirty minutes had been added to the target running time.  Having said that, the complex nature of Cold War stories means that explicit storytelling makes following the twists and turns easier.  After all, a theatre audience can’t go back a few pages, as readers can, if they need a reminder of prior action and dialogue.

The set is bleak, resembling a black box.  There is a crashed bicycle centre-stage.  As we focus, we can see that the backdrop is the Berlin Wall, and the light shining on the bicycle is from a searchlight.  The wall is present throughout the play, though other props come and go.  Small items of furniture are brought on, or removed as required.  There is only what is necessary, and it is all well lit.  There is one lighting oddity – the ‘goal posts’ that signify the presence of George Smiley.  Perhaps it’s a subtle message about whose game this is.

Following the story is aided by Le Carré’s choice of character names.  They are all distinct, and unmistakable from one another.  The actors’ speech is all crystal clear thanks to the diction of the cast.  The key East German roles, Mundt (Peter Losasso) and Fielder (Eddie Toll) have accents that make their ‘side’ apparent, but without being obtrusive or making dialogue indistinct.  Commendation must also go to Sound Design (Elizabeth Purnell), the Sound Department (Lateef Oshinowo, Charlotte James, and James Melling) and Sound Engineers (Ben Davidson, Aiden Jones, and Matthew Ferrie).   Even with the occasional film noir music, the sound is sharp and balanced.  Sound clarity at this level is not to be taken for granted, which is why it needs to be recognised when everyone makes it happen.

Ralf Little, as Alec Leamas, conveys the tension of his character.  Leamas has seen a former colleague, Ashe (Jeff D’Sangalang), fall into a trap, and is haunted by his own involvement in it.  Having recognised that trap, Leamas falls into it too.  How much he falls, and how much he is pushed, is a key question.  While the central plot centres on cold war machinations, there are other elements too.  Spying, like acting, requires an ability to convince people that the things you do and say, represent the truth when they do not.  There is a romantic element to Leamas’ life – Liz Gold (Gráinne Dromgoole) – but can a spy fall in love? And should they?

Though the story is set in the early 60s, there are issues with contemporary resonance.  There is some homophobia.  There is antisemitism, all the more striking because of events in today’s news.  Then there is the eternal battle of good guys versus bad.  Who are they? Are we the good guys, or are they?  Do ends justify means?  Can idealism and pragmatism both be pursued at the same time?  Is it morally acceptable to cause bad things to happen to people we know, so that there is a greater good for people we don’t?  Is that betrayal?  Can it be lived with, and should we, as outsiders, be grateful for it?  Being a Le Carré spy is not all black and white, as it seems to be for Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

The cast work well together.  Alec Leamas is the spy ‘out in the cold’ with Liz in his heart.  George Smiley is the puppet master.  Despite having a relatively small amount of stage time, he is central to the tone of the play, right up to the last moment.  The ensemble players make the production coherent.  This is particularly evident in the pivotal tribunal scene, where the story threads are brought together.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a thriller, set two thirds of a century ago.  We thought that war was over.  It isn’t, and it never was; only the names have changed.  Though this is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, there are moments of laughter that bring good balance.  There’s even a recipe for a cocktail.  All human life is here.  The play looks like a thriller on the surface, but there are so many philosophical questions just below that surface.  Brilliantly entertaining for an audience to watch at any level.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold plays at Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 09 May. Tickets are available here.

Phil Scown has been a regular theatre-goer since his student days many years ago. Mysteries, thrillers, ghost stories, comedies and musicals are all part of his theatre diet. Phil writes short stories in a variety of genres, some of which have become screenplays. He likes to tour England, Scotland and France, nowadays by car rather than motorcycle. At other times Phil likes to cook and to drive his Caterham, though generally not at the same time.