The Comedy About Spies
The show opens in 1961, London, MI5 headquarters where secret agents are using their new secret identity’s (which does cause some confusion thanks to delightful word-play humour – U and You sound very similar don't you know!) discussing what to do about Project Midnight and the fact there is a turncoat in the force who plans to meet the Soviets at The Piccadilly Hotel.
We move through a series of scenes, each more hilarious than the previous with fantastic physical comedy as well as clever puns, confusing word play and out-right ridiculousness. The set design by David Farley is possibly the biggest and boldest we’ve seen in a Mischief production – with several levels and eye-catching colourful designs it’s a delight to look at. In particular the ‘hotel rooms’ section is a theatrical marvel and so perfectly executed.
It is also a delight to see the majority of the original Mischief Theatre makers in this production, no one does it better than them. Henry Lewis brings the biggest laughs of the evening as the frankly useless actor Douglas Woodbead, a bumbling fool who slowly but surely loses his mental state over the course of the story which Lewis plays perfectly with impeccable physicality and comic timing.
Dave Hearn as CIA agent Lance is downright perfection, he’s all action no substance and as the American hard man who maybe doesn’t make the best choices he is a delight to watch.
Chris Leask and Charlie Russell team up as soviet spies Sergei Ivanov & Elena Popov and they pair perfectly, Leask leans into the incompetence of Sergei, and his clear love for improvisational theatre much to the disdain of Elena giving Russell the chance to bring the power to the dynamic as she does so well.
The entire cast shine in this show and it would not be possible without every single one of them. Any Mischief show has to run like a well-oiled machine and this is no different. They are so fantastic at making it all look effortless when in reality the physical nature of their comedy must be quite exhausting! It’s a marvel to see how well they work together and makes for an incredibly entertaining show.
There are very few times where the jokes don’t quite hit, but those are soon eclipsed by a huge laugh, and some sections do feel as though they could be tightened as they drag a little but on the whole it’s well paced and very enjoyable. It truly is a masterclass in slapstick humour, and long may it stay in the West End!
This show was reviewed on the 13th May 2025 at The Noel Coward Theatre where it runs until the 5th September 2025. Tickets available here: https://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/whats-on/the-comedy-about-spies
Review written by Rosie Browne
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Photo credit: Mark Senior
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