Review: THE COMEDY ABOUT SPIES, Noël Coward Theatre
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
Perhaps it should not come as a surprise each time Mischief produces yet another quick-witted, clever and absolutely hilarious play - but they have gone and done it again.
The Comedy About Spies is a departure from the Goes Wrong franchise that made Mischief’s name but, with sharper comedy beats than the previous Comedy About a Bank Robbery, this may be their wittiest work yet.
The opening scene sets the audience up for the sort of night ahead, drawing on the very best of British humour, with influences obviously including Fawlty Towers and absurdism of Monty Python or Blackadder.
We are transported to MI5 headquarters in London, 1961 to set up the loose premise for the play; a turncoat British agent is to hand over plans for the so-called Project Midnight to Soviet spies in a prearranged meet at the Piccadilly Hotel.
However, as Henry Lewis’s character attempts to brief his team (Agent I and Agent U), the alphabet-allocated code names (Agent C, Agent Y, Agent O, you get the gist) results in a masterful piece of word-play comedy.
This is Mischief comedy with a budget. David Farley’s set design is big, bold and glitzy, with the four hotel rooms of different colours proving a particular highlight.
And while the play more than stands up as a genuinely hilarious piece of theatre, it is undoubtedly the cast of predominantly Mischief OGs that gives it an extra fizz.
Henry Lewis is doing Henry Lewis things and gets some of the biggest laughs of the night as the one and only Douglas Woodbead (the cricketer? No, that’s the other one). His unique delivery and comic timing just cannot be replicated, nor can his ability to portray a slow-burn public breakdown.
Charlie Russell is once again a standout, this time as Soviet spy Elena Popov. She is paired with Sergei Ivanov (played by Chris Leask) and her ever-growing frustrations with her incompetent fellow spy sets her up for some wonderful, snappy line deliveries.
Henry Shields as the affable British baker Bernard Wright, who just happens to have stumbled into a world of espionage, is equally as brilliant in his comedic timing, while Dave Hearn’s portrayal of all-action but somewhat undermined CIA agent Lance Buchanan is a highlight.
The rest of this company is made up with laugh out loud performances from Greg Tannahill as hotel manager Albert Tipton and Nancy Zamit as Janet Buchanan. Adele James as straight-woman Rosemary Wilson balances the piece perfectly and makes the absolute most of her opportunities for comedy.
It would be tempting to describe this as a return to form for Mischief but, really, there has never been much of a drop-off. The key ingredient to elevating any of their shows from brilliant to showstoppingly hilarious is this incredible original company.
The Comedy About Spies is undoubtedly a smash hit and arguably Mischief’s funniest work to date. It ought to have a big future beyond this limited West End run.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Tom Ambrose
