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Liverpool Playhouse
12th to 16th May 2026
Originally written by John le Carré in 1963 where he leans on his own experiences working as a British intelligence offers for MI5 and MI6. He tells the story of Alec Leamas. Alec is convinced to go on one final mission by his spymaster/puppeteer, where he is to frame his nemesis, the head of the East German intelligence ‘Hans-Dieter Mundt’. Alec falls for British Librarian Liz Gold. The two fall in love in a high stakes game of espionage set in the Cold War.
David Eldridge’s script lacked depth, and the characters moved through it at lightning speed. We didn’t know where we were from minuet to the next. With some rewriting, stronger direction and more time spent on the relationships between Alex and Liz, this has the potential to be a great thriller.
The simple minimal sets designed by Bunny Christie, expose the actors creating an element of paranoia where no one can hide. Unfortunately many of the cast stage presences lacked substance which they couldn’t hide and we question some of the casting choices.
Ralf Little’s plays the anti-hero Alec Leamas. Whilst we love Ralf in many of his guises we sadly felt that this role wasn’t a fit for him. There were moments of vulnerability and moments of cold heartedness but the direction was so jarring that he never got the chance to really shine, though he did seem to come alive more in the second half. There was a lack of chemistry between him and Grainne Dromgoole who plays his love interest Liz Gold. I didn’t really care much for their relationship, which was a fundamental part of the story. Grainne again did her best with a poor script.
Nicholas Murchie gave a stand out performance as ‘Control’. He gave a solid performance showing the cold and calculated side of the character. We also enjoyed Melody Chikakane Browns’s gossiping Miss Crial. We all know a Miss Crial full of tattle tales and scorn.
Fans of the book will likely love this adaptation where the world is morally grey and there aren’t really any good guys. You can catch this tale of espionage at Liverpool Playhouse till Saturday 16th May
https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold/
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