Fringe review: THE SPY WHO WENT TO REHAB, Pleasance Dome
When the writer of the next Bond movie, Stephen Wright, sits down with producers to consider how to take the franchise forward following the death of the secret agent in the last film, No Time to Die, they might consider watching The Spy Who Went To Rehab at Pleasance Dome.
Simon Cross awakes to find himself in the New Horizon Rehab Centre, being interviewed by a therapist. She soon establishes what we already know - that he is an alcoholic, nicotine and gambling addict, sex addict with misogynistic destructive behaviour, and a touch of PTSD. His toxic masculinity triggers the others in the therapy sessions. Can Cross change? Who are these other people in therapy?
When Lazarus Rex, the arch evil genius (played by the legendary Mike McShane) arrives carrying a stuffed white cat, how will Cross react? There are some good ideas in this play with some clever twists but not enough to sustain a full hour.
This rift on the Bond theme is interesting, playing on all of the elements that Bond is now criticised for and yet the very things that made him the phenomenon he is. The producers of Bond 26 must be considering how to evolve their character for the 21st Century and perhaps that challenge will send them into therapy too! It will be fascinating to see how Bond changes just as Cross is reformed in The Spy Who Went To Rehab.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne