This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour saw The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at the invite of The Alexandra.
For Brum Radio’s Interval Theatre, actor Tony Turner spoke about his role in this UK Tour. Listen here:
By Dave Massey
This production contains strong language and onstage violence.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at The Alexandra: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐Dark and at times challenging to watch
Alec Leamas (Ralf Little) just wants to return home, but World War Two and its long-reaching impacts have disrupted his life forever. He can’t go home to his family and is sent by an employment agency to work in a London library where he meets Liz Gold (Gráinne Dromgoole), who takes more than a passing interest in him. Alec has lead a secret life in during the WW2 in Berlin, and his past is about to bite him again.
The staging is straightforward, and the lighting changes are swift, from the library to the courtroom to a shabby bedsit. The stage floor has a globe with a focus on Germany, and the circular lines also appear to look like a spider’s web at different moments.
It took me some time to realise Alec was having flashbacks and sometimes imagining his conversations with other characters. Mostly, a square white light would show this. There is a lot of dialogue in the first half, and plenty of action takes place in the second half, and a particular scene with a large bucket of water was stressful.
The performances are excellent, and Ralf Little is a standout along with Gráinne Dromgoole as the woman who falls for him.
Dark and at times challenging to watch, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is at The Alexandra until 4th July. Book tickets here: atgtickets.com/shows/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
