The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

★★★☆☆     Solid

Festival Theatre: Tue 21 – Sat 25 Apr 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson

The touring production of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at the Festival Theatre is taut and stylish, but lacking in real excitement.

The Chichester Festival Theatre production (from The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions) has also been seen in London, and its tour will certainly please fans of the spy genre, although the well acted production never really ignites.

Ralph Little and Nicholas Murchie with Tony Turner. Pic: Johan Persson.

John le Carré’s 1963 novel was not his first or perhaps his best known, but (as well as becoming a successful film) helped establish the mythology of ‘the Circus’, his depiction of the British intelligence service.

TV favourite Ralf Little plays Alec Leamas, an agent in Cold War Berlin who has seen all of his informers killed by East German security officer Mundt. Leamas has had enough of the work, but is persuaded by ‘Control’, his boss, to undertake ‘one last mission’.

David Eldridge’s adaptation is faithful to the source; perhaps too much so. It certainly points up some of the reasons why le Carré’s work has tended to work better on the small screen (this, astonishingly, is the first-ever stage adaptation of one of the books).

a shade underwhelming

With more time to play with, the narrative can be more varied. On stage, the hugely complicated plot still has to be gone through, meaning that so much time is spent on exposition that the result can be overly talky. Furthermore, the dramatic moments, when they come, can be a shade underwhelming here. As a result, the storyline is tense but rarely truly gripping.

Gráinne Dromgoole and Ralph Little. Pic: Johan Persson.

Where the adaptation undoubtedly scores is in depicting the grubby, morally ambiguous world Leamas inhabits. Little is extremely effective in portraying his weariness, in a performance that is understated, nuanced and exact. Often, the other characters are presented as projections of Leamas’s thoughts, and Little handles this very well.

The production’s most successful element is the depiction of the uneasy romance between Leamas and the idealistic librarian Liz, excellently played by Gráinne Dromgoole. The relationship, once again, is without histrionics and is accordingly all the more touching.

suitably evasive and powerful

The decision to beef up the part George Smiley plays in the narrative is perhaps understandable as the character is by far the most famous of the writer’s creations, but it has the effect of reducing the impact of Nicholas Murchie’s slippery Control. Tony Turner’s Smiley is suitably evasive and powerful, but his continual watching presence does also sometimes draw the focus from Leamas.

The rest of the cast all impress, especially as some of the characters they play have no time to be properly developed. Peter Losasso’s chilly Mundt and Melody Chikakane Brown’s dual roles are particularly effective.

The cast of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Pic: Johan Persson.

Director Jeremy Herrin uses the ensemble cleverly; indeed, the opening tableaux suggest that the production is going to be visually much more interesting than it turns out to be. Unfortunately thereafter, Lucy Cullingford’s often intriguing movement design tends to be restricted to the highly efficient scene changes.

The feel of the production is decidedly downbeat and often dark. Literally so, as Azusa Ono’s lighting design, while evocative, is decidedly sepulchral.

deliberately in shadow

The design of Max Jones is also unfussy to the point of minimalism, with the stage dominated by a depiction of the Berlin Wall and a map of Europe that is deliberately in shadow. Once again, the most intriguing element comes early on; in this case before the play even starts, with a bicycle lying on the stage that has a spookily ever-spinning wheel. Paul Englishby’s music fits in well, but the lugubrious trumpet does have a clichéd noirish feel.

Overall, the production is unlikely to disappoint any fans of le Carré, but is solid rather than inspiring.

Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes (including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicholson Street, EH8 9FT
Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 April 2026
Daily: 7.30 pm; Matinees Thurs, Sat: 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.

Tony Turner. Pic: Johan Persson.

ENDS

Tags: Azusa Ono, Chichester Festival Theatre, David Eldridge, Festival Theatre, Gráinne Dromgoole, Hugh Simpson, Jeremy Herrin, John le Carré, Lucy Cullingford, Max Jones, Melody Chikakane Brown, Nicholas Murchie, Paul Englishby, Peter Losasso, Ralf Little, Review, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Theatre, Tony Turner