The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A Review

All is fair in love and war? Think again. Last month saw The Spy Who Came in From the Cold come to Liverpool’s Playhouse following a sold-out run at the Chichester Festival Theatre and a premiere in the West End. Written by David Eldridge and directed by Jeremy Herrin, this adaptation of John le Carré’s celebrated 1963 novel of the same name gave us all things espionage, romance, and the moral ambiguity of the Cold War.

The production has a stellar cast, with BBC’s Death in Paradise’s Ralf Little leading as Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about his sworn enemy counterpart. Set during the 1960s, the play explores Leamas’ trials and the consequences of refusing to ‘come in’ from the Cold’ of enemy territory. This next missionb is thus set to be his final one; the play confides in the audience only to double-cross them just as Leamas is. The plot is intricate and precise, rewarding the audience’s trust in the mission before expertly pulling the rug from beneath them.

Photo Credits: https://spyonstage.com/

This is Little like we’ve never seen him before – or have we? His portrayal of this morally burnt-out Western spy is not unlike his role as beloved detective Inspector Neville Parker, however this time a little more suave and fewer allergies to get in the way of his denouement. Little shows his leading man chops once again; there wasn’t a moment he left the stage, anchoring the production and its various flashbacks, twists and turns throughout its two-hour running time. His Leamas balances cynicism and exhaustion with feeling, giving us a look under his hardened exterior. His fellow castmates are equally strong, and as an ensemble, show remarkable dexterity when transforming into the different figures, silhouettes and bodies that cross Leamas’ path. Notable performances come from Tony Turner as George Smiley, Gráinne Dromgoole as Liz Gold, and Peter Losasso as Mundt. Together, the cast execute the production’s intricate choreography to create an ever-changing, disorienting world in which nobody is entirely innocent and in which every action comes with a cost. All the while, the Berlin Wall looms over proceedings as both a real and symbolic divide.

What emerges from the heavy source material is le Carré’s enduring message about the futility of ideological conflict; The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is not glamourous nor one-dimensional, but instead offers a behind-the-scenes look into the murky underworld of Cold War espionage, conducted by flawed people making impossible choices. The backdrop may belong to 1960s Berlin but its themes of misinformation, sacrifice and uncertainty feel strikingly contemporary; a tense exploration of the lengths people will go for love, duty and survival.

The Spy Who Came in From The Cold is now playing venues across the UK until 22nd August. Find more information here: https://spyonstage.com/uktour/