The Comedy About Spies at Noël Coward Theatre Review
Mischief has gone right yet again - promising to make you laugh till you can't
The latest mission from the award-winning theatre company Mischief, The Comedy About Spies is penned by the group's founding members, Henry Lewis and Henry Shields, with director Matt DiCarlo at the helm. Although the show departs from the company's usual penchant for planned chaos, it retains the unbeatable mischief that fans know and love.
Set in 1961 London, the play begins with an array of hilariously named MI6 agents (Y, just Y?), setting up the foundation for the entire play with the mysterious ‘Project Midnight’ - a weapon powerful enough to end the Cold War, being stolen by a turncoat. Following the news, two Soviet Spies, Elena (Charlie Russell) and Sergei (Chris Leask) and CIA Agent Lance (Dave Hearn) and his mother and former agent Janet (Nancy Zamit) go head to head to recover the missing briefcase. The two parties, following Intel, arrive at the Piccadilly Hotel, determined to find the British turncoat.
Hotel manager Albert (Greg Tannahill) attempts to appease his guests, for the hotel is subject to review by a secret shopper. Unsuspecting actor Douglas (Henry Lewis), awaiting his audition, and the romantic couple Rosemary (Adele James) and Bernard (Henry Shields) - eagerly making a surprise appearance in the hopes to propose to Rosemary on a work trip - unknowingly gets caught in this high-stakes world, through a series of bizarre and hilarious misunderstandings. Everything is not as it seems, however, and everyone is not as innocent as they appear. With time ticking, and the fate of a war on their hands, it's crucial that the case is solved.
Henry Lewis and Henry Shields - affectionately referred to as Lewis and Shields - have created a new blueprint for how slick a comedy play can be, refreshing traditional farce with their own twist. Known for physical comedy both within the set design and the performers themselves, this piece takes their signature style to new heights, outdoing themselves with daring stunts, and a script so funny you could die of laughter. It's incredibly fast-paced, with exciting sequences that keep thrill levels high throughout.
There's pure escapism and the adrenaline of being chased - and the writing duo offers both by letting audiences into what the characters cannot ‘see’, and also be at the mercy of trying to discover the turncoat before the grand reveal. Interweaving all the characters in deceptively simple ways, the script steadily increases confusion and plot twists, all whilst having individual plot lines and consistently strong gags.
The cast is exceptional, with roles having quite literally been tailored to best highlight their talents. Nancy Zamit's Janet is an embarrassingly proud mother and former spy whose enthusiasm for weapons makes every scene funnier. Greg Tannahill's Albert is charmingly hilarious as his best endeavours to restore peace are often thwarted. Henry Lewis brings alive a staggeringly funny performance to the wonderfully manic Douglas - a delight to watch; Adele James is a strong presence as the frustrated and oblivious Rosemary, whose performance shines as a guiding presence.
Charlie Russell and Chris Leask are an unbeatable comedic duo as the Soviet Spies; the former brings out impressive emotional depth with a surprisingly serious moment, and yet can dive back into her comedic side at a moment’s notice; while the latter takes physical comedy to another level with a performance so energetic and amusing, even his fellow cast mates are caught trying to hide a smile - their dynamic develops in rather sweet and touching manner that audiences can't help but adore. Henry Shields' Bernard is adorable, and so utterly British and wholesome that audiences will be rooting for his journey, yet his emotional arc and character development are key factors in the play's connective tissue. Dave Hearn is a sensation as Lance, with a performance so impressive and convincing (watch out, the actual MI6…) Hearn's tightly-wound self and gift for performing impressive stunts with such ease, making the character so fun that it's hard not to watch.
David Farley's set design is another stroke of genius. With a sliced, two-by-two view of four rooms, quite like a doll's house with co-ordinating colours, this allows for an array of misunderstandings to occur from bugging radio plots to sabotaging neighbouring rooms’ bugging radio plots… all of which has the audience howling with laughter. In true Mischief style, the props in the room tend to go awry, too, lending to a commotion so insane that even a fever dream would struggle to compete with.
Deborah Andrews' costuming inspirations lean into the stereotypical spy attire, with long coats, hats and umbrellas before being mockingly played off. There is admirable lighting from Joanna Town too, with a well-earned tribute to James Bond received with rapturous audience response. Jon Fiber creates an underscoring for JollyGoodTunes that is both playfully lighthearted and dramatically tense, in particular replicating the echoing effects and hollowness of a lift in a particular sequence (no spoilers).
Equal parts side-splittingly funny and gasp-worthy, the play (that definitely went right) truly goes above and beyond expectations, a creative stroke of genius in what can be accomplished in a comedy play. With an intelligent script, spectacularly achieved effects and a side of hysterics, Mischief managed to bring in a show that scales new heights and will leave audiences wanting more (that is, if they can handle it). It's not hard to C Y it's a bombastic addition to the West End (… ‘C’ what we did there?) with what is easily the funniest play one could hope for - a mission success.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Comedy About Spies plays at the Nöel Coward Theatre until 5 September. Book via LOVEtheatre with no booking fees for a limited time only.
Reviewed by Oviya, Freelance Contributor
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representative for the production, with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the producers or venue. Standard tickets were available from £20, with £25 Lottery tickets available via the TodayTix app.
♾️ The show features a moderate soundscape throughout, with loud shouting and sudden sound effects including gunshots. Further timings (contains spoilers) are as follows, as of the attended performance (all precise timings provided by the production and subject to change):
Act 1 begins with moving lights shining into the audience imitating searchlights.
At 4 mins 10 secs after a countdown from five and the line ‘Perfect’, there is a loud explosion sound effect with blinding flashing lights into the audience.
From 4 mins 22 secs there is a 2-min action chase sequence, during which 2 gunshot sound effects are played on beat to the music.
At 4 mins 53 secs on the line ‘Freeze’, there is one gunshot sound effect.
At 5 mins 43 secs when a man steps out from stage right with a prop gun, there is one gunshot sound effect followed by a blackout at the end of the music.
At 18 mins 35 secs after the line ‘Does that umbrella there belong to you?’, there are 3 dart gun sound effects in quick succession (softer than previous gunshots).
At 47 mins 27 secs there is a dart gun sound effect as the character Woodbead jumps up and down.
At 58 mins 40 secs on the line ‘I just want to relax', there are 3 dart gun sound effects.
Act 2 begins with sudden dramatic brass music.
At 25 mins 34 secs into Act 2, when the character Lance draws a weapon on Woodbead, there is one gunshot sound effect.
At 40 mins there is another searchlight effect lasting for approx 5 seconds.
At 41 mins 55 secs on the line ‘Hand over the briefcase’ there are four gunshot sound effects.
The Comedy about Spies is presented by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence in association with Jo Danvers.
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