The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - Review

Starring Ralph Little as Alec Leamas in the The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, this play is strong, exciting, funny and dramatic, with incredible production throughout. The play runs for 2hrs 10 minutes (with interval) and there's lots to fit in to the short running time, but it is done seamlessly. Ralph Little's character is not only hilarious delivering some dark comedy for scenes, they also have strong acting presence on stage captivating the audience from the moment the house lights go down. 

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise. 

The play has strong performances from everyone on stage, and the play is helped with a brilliant soundtrack which moves the story along nicely and the actors on stage have stage mics for the audience to really capture the dialogue that Ralph Little's characters develop. Without giving too much away from the play, Ralph's character is a spy who is ready to come in from the cold and finally settle, however there is one more mission that he has been given, with its twists and turns, does he finally come in from the cold? Will he achieve the mission whilst falling in love with a librarian who is likely to jeopardise everything that he has worked for. 

This play is incredible, I really enjoyed it from the start to finish, walking out being amazed of how it was all brought to life from a book, to a stage show in a touring capacity. I got to the end of the second act, and thought I could really watch this again and still enjoy it the second time around and I really don't often think this about plays. I usually find them either slightly too long, or not engaging enough. This was completely the opposite, It was engaging and drew you in from the moment it started. 

I really, really enjoyed it and it was so great to see Ralph Little on stage in this incredible role.

As always, a big thanks to Encore PR for the invite and the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre for the warm welcome.

Content Warning

The production contains strong language and derogatory language, prevalent at the period, and depictions of violence including gun shots.