The Comedy About Spies at the Noël Coward Theatre

You don't need to be a spy to see how spectacular this show is! Yet another hit for Mischief Theatre. I went into this show having only seen some of the rehearsal clips online, and I was blown away, not by a bottle of Shiraz, but by the sheer talent that was on display on that stage. This show is a must-see for fans of Mischief and general comedy alike, and I truly hope there is a return to the West End or a Tour in the future of this show. It is simply so enjoyable and well put together that it should be seen by as many people as possible.

The Front of House team at the Noel Coward Theatre were phenomenal at accommodating my access needs and ensuring that I was able to get into the theatre safely and quickly. Furthermore, they were so informative about the location of the cloakroom and various facilities around the theatre, so for that, I must commend the whole team. Also, it was wonderful to see members of staff learning sign language in the foyer so that they were able to communicate with a greater number of guests. 

The theatre itself is spacious, and sitting in Row D of the Royal Circle, I had plenty of legroom and an unobstructed view of the whole stage. I have sat in the stalls previously when seeing Dear Evan Hansen and once again had plenty of legroom and a clear view of the stage.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

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My Review:

Mischief Theatre delivers once again! The Comedy About Spies is slick, constantly captivating and an absolute joy to watch. The entire company play off each other so well and are simply seamless with their comedic timing between one another, which is a sign of a cast that is completely in sync… a true testament to the talent on stage and something that makes the show even more of a spectacle than it already is. The Comey About Spies is written by Henry Lewis & Henry Shields, who also star within the show, and this is the case in the majority of Mischief shows, which are written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer. The direction by Matt DiCarlo (Director) and Katie-Ann McDonough (Associate Director) perfectly brings the book to life, and through his direction, the cast are able to interact with and utilise the set (David Farley) and props (PropWorks) to completely immerse the cast and thus also the audience into the world of The Comedy About Spies. The lighting (Johanna Town) is able to enhance the set and create a more visually engaging experience for the audience, past the already captivating nature of a show such as this. There is complete cohesion between movement (Shelley Maxwell), stunts (Jami Reid-Quarrell), and fight scenes (Greg Tannahill), allowing for an incredibly effective and engaging performance to be delivered by all company members. The costumes designed by Deborah Andrews and Michelle Bristow (Costume Supervisor) supported and enhanced the show in a beautifully subtle way, and the seamless change from Granny to Bell Boy is still so impressive to me after having seen a backstage recording of the quick change. The sound design & composition (Jon Fiber) was clear and did not overpower the show at any point, this balance is truly essential to strike as sound that contributes the show rather than threatens to drown it out further immerses the audience into the world that is being created on the stage in front of them.

Lance Buchanan (Dave Hearn) and Janet Buchanan (Nancy Zamit) are the dynamic, and let’s be honest, fairly dysfunctional, dynamic duo all the way from the CIA. Dave Hearn delivers some incredible feats of physical theatre, occasionally joined by his wonderful assistant, but that’s all I’m going to say; you’ll have to see the show to find out more. Nancy Zamit is absolutely hilarious and embodies the character of the overbearing mother, perfectly countered by Dave Hearn’s portrayal of the disgruntled son who simply wants to prove himself. The two of them together were simply wonderful to watch as they played off each other and brought the strained mother-son duo to life.

Opposing them are Elena Popov (Charlie Russel) and Sergei Ivanov (Chris Leask), the duo of friends (or so Sergei hopes) from the KGB. Chris Leask is fabulous as the bumbling (could this be considered a slight Hell or High Rollers reference) Russian spy… sorry spleen doctor… Sergei Ivanov. He is perfectly countered by Charlie Russel, the more level-headed of the two, and it was wonderful to watch the relationship between these two characters grow throughout the show. Their interactions with each other were completely on-point and they never missed a beat, leaving the audience in stitches from scene to scene, especially whilst they tried to acquire disguises both successfully and well… unsuccessfully.

Forming the backbone of the plot, every one of the interactions between the agents of the CIA and the KGB will have you saying LOL (very sorry, but I had to include the slogan somehow as it’s just so fitting for this show).

Douglas Woodbead (Henry Lewis) commands his scenes as the underappreciated actor, and I thoroughly enjoyed how Henry Lewis brought this role to life and how he chose to interact with the other actors and the set around him. Some particular standout moments of this were the Ian Fleming-inspired hairdryer scene and the interactions with Henry Shields and their respective rooms being above or below each other. The room jokes are based on the simple principle of shared walls/floors, but were so brilliantly executed by all of the performers that they had me in stitches any time they were used as part of the show.

Rosemary Wilson (Ashley Tucker) is a wonderfully mysterious addition to this show, and whilst the audience is left second-guessing her throughout the production, through fantastic writing, the final twists still remain surprising even for the best sleuths in town. Ashley Tucker’s interactions with Rosemary’s boyfriends Bernard Wright (Henry Shields) are an utter joy to experience, and a particular part that stayed with me was the scenes where every time she tried to talk to Bernard, he simply appeared to be asleep… despite his best efforts to talk to her. Henry Shield has such an in-depth understanding of his character, Bernard Wright, meaning that the audience finds themselves connecting with this character and rooting for him no matter what his journey may throw at him. Henry Shield’s during the scene as a double, triple, quadruple… I can’t even remember how many… agent was sublime and hilarious. His use of the moving catwalk to transition between scenes made so much of a seemingly simple transition, further adding to this was the unfortunate experience of Douglas Woodbead happening in the background, and that’s all I’ll say on that.

Albert Tipton (Greg Tannahill) is a prime example of subtle comedy. Even when he is in the background of a scene, he will make you keel over laughing without distracting from the main plot being shown on the stage. Greg Tannahill not only performs in the show but is also the fight director, and the scenes that he choreographed are simply fantastic, his ability to combine performance and comedy is a testament to his skill and one that he conveyed ot only through the fights he directed but also through his performance as Albert Tipton. I thoroughly looked forward to whenever his character was on the stage, especially in a forefront role, as I knew I’d be in stitches throughout. A part of the show that is the embodiment of this was what can only be described as the ring fiasco, and it must be said that Greg Tannahill put his all into this and made it truly effective. However, on that note, the entire company very clearly put their all into every scene, and it is clear how much they care about the quality of the craft through the level of performance that they brought to every moment, as such I must urge everyone to catch this before it closes on the 5th of September!

The ensemble at the performance I watched was made up of Allie Dart and Niall Ransome, but other ensemble members include Macadie Amoroso, Adam Byron, Matt Cavendish, and Ashley Tucker.

Should you find yourself able to you would be wise to infiltrate this top secret mission and witness The Comedy About Spies for yourself.

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Content Warnings:

The theatre had warnings clearly on display on the front of the box office inside the foyer of the theatre, which were as follows:

This production includes

• Strobe Lighting

• Infrequent Mild Bad Language

• Use of Haze

• Gunshots

I personally did not make note of any other moments within the show that I felt should be included in these warnings.

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Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer