For many people, one of the main reasons to see this adaptation of John le Carré’s 1963 spy novel is the casting of Ralf Little as Alec Leamas. He is on stage all the time, and because of the power of his acting, he drives the piece forward with great energy, which is just what it needs. He is very believable in the role of the British spy who agrees to just one more operation before coming in ‘from the cold’.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Credit: Johan PerssonThe stage adaptation has been undertaken by David Eldridge, who seems to have been very faithful to the original book. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold has already been seen at the cinema, in 1965, starring Ruchard Burton and in 2017 a television version was announced, but arguably the most successful has been the 1986 BBC Radio 4 production with Colin Blakely, mainly because there is very little action in the piece but a great deal of talking, as the plot is complex, perhaps unnecessarily so! In any case, in his version, Eldridge has made the role of George Smiley more central to the story, whereas in the novel, he is on the periphery.
Briefly, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold concerns a British agent, Alec Leamas, who pretends to defect to East Germany in order to bring down an enemy intelligence chief, only to discover that he has been used in a morally ruthless plot that sacrifices both him and the woman he loves.
We meet Hans-Dieter Mundt, leader of the East German secret service, a suitably smarmy portrayal by Peter Losasso, nowhere near as stereotyped as he could be, Jens Fiedler, Mundt’s deputy, subtly acted by Eddie Toll, and ‘Control’, head of the British Secret Service, played by Nicholas Murchie.
Liz Gold, librarian and member of the Communist Party, seems underdeveloped in the hands of Grainne Dromgoole, as does George Smiley himself, though Tony Turner is hampered by having to play most of his scenes from the top of the Berlin Wall, or it certainly seems like it! In the final scene, he has been directed to stand on a raised platform upstage as the wall moves forward, and cannot be seen, at least from the stalls.
Jeremy Herrin’s direction makes the play seem relentless, lacking light and shade. Originally seen as a thrust stage production, the audience sitting on three sides at the intimate Chichester Minerva Theatre, it does not seem to have transferred well to a proscenium arch stage, if only because the original set design (Max Jones) was just a black metal black wall with a set of steps leading to the top which was ‘protected’ by barbed wire, and all that has been added for Joe Lichtenstein’s touring production is three black legs on each side of the stage to mask exits and entrances, seemingly making the acting area a large black hole which becomes quite tiring to look at! If one is seated in one of the ‘circles’, one may be able to see the painted stage floor, which I gather is not black, but from the front stalls, that is not visible! Azusa Ono does her best with imaginative lighting, but is fighting a losing battle. One assumes that this metal wall is intended to represent the “Iron Curtain”, but it is very dull to look at for the entire play. At Brighton Press Night, the play was halted during the course of Act One for about ten minutes while some technical problems were sorted out.
If you enjoy John le Carré and the George Smiley novels, you may well enjoy this version of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
Review by John Groves
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise.
Ralf Little – Alec Leamas
James Burman – Ensemble / Understudy Fiedler, Ashe, Mundt, Riemeck / Kiever / Probation Officer and Pitt / Ford / Governor
Jonny Burman – Riemeck/Kiever/Probation Officer / Understudy Alec Leamas
Melody Chikakane Brown – Miss Crail / President of the Tribunal
Gráinne Dromgoole – Liz Gold
Jeff D’Sangalang – Ashe
Peter Losasso – Mundt / Understudy Control
Nicholas Murchie – Control
Jo Servi – Pitt / Ford / Governor / Understudy George Smiley / Karden
Eddie Toll – Fielder
Tony Turner – George Smiley / Karden
Clara Wessely – Ensemble / Understudy Liz Gold and Miss Crail / President of the Tribunal
Written by John le Carré
Adapted by David Eldridge
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Max Jones – Set and Costume
Azusa Ono – Lighting
Elizabeth Purnell – Sound
Paul Englishby – Composer
Matilda James – Casting
Lucy Cullingford – Movement
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
2 to 6 June 2026, Tour continues to 22 August 2026
Book Tickets for Theatre Royal Brighton