A new play, based on a classic novel by British author John le Carré, is showing at Nottingham's Theatre Royal starring TV actor Ralf Little as a weary 1960s MI5 agent...
Based upon a 1963 Cold War spy novel by British author John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold follows weary intelligence officer Alec Leamas as he is sent to East Germany as a "faux defector". Devoid of the glamour often found in espionage fiction, it is a gritty tale of moral compromise.
English actor Ralf Little might be best known for TV fodder like Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and The Royle Family, but he’s actually an Olivier Award-nominated theatre actor these days. To his credit he takes the lead role of Alec Leamas in this production and thoroughly makes it his own.
The plot subverts traditional, glamorous spy stories and is widely celebrated for its realistic, morally ambiguous take on international intelligence. After his spy network in East Berlin is destroyed, Leamas is called back to London, ostensibly facing retirement. However, instead he agrees to go on one final assignment: where he is to act as an embittered alcoholic former spy seeking asylum in East Germany.
Leamas’ goal is to frame and discredit Hans-Dieter Mundt (played by Peter Losasso), the ruthless head of East German intelligence. To make the cover believable, Leamas's own agency publicly disavows him, and Leamas undergoes genuine disgrace and imprisonment. However, during this time of manufactured disgrace, Leamas meets Liz Gold (played by Gráinne Dromgoole), an idealistic young librarian and devoted Communist Party member. They fall in love, complicating his cold, professional demeanor and bringing a tragic, human element to the mission.
For anyone familiar with the work of John le Carré, his most famous creation the spymaster George Smiley (played by Tony Turner) is also present in this production, although in a side role and it’s sometimes hard to gauge how much of Smiley's cameos are in the mind of Leamas only. Look out for the blue lights!
As psychological thrillers go this is a very enjoyable production. Right from the director Jeremy Herrin, to the wardrobe and production team it’s a tight effort all round and provides a fun and thought provoking night out.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is showing at Nottingham's Theatre Royal until Saturday 27 June.
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