The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

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The Spy Who Came In From The Cold description

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold transfers to the West End.

You're going to love Chichester Festival Theatre’s hugely popular adaptation of John le Carré’s 1963 spy novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. A well-deserved transfer to the West End, this is the first time a le Carré story has been staged in theatreland.

The award-winning TV, theatre and radio writer David Eldridge (Festen, Market Boy, Under the Blue Sky) is at the heart of it all, no stranger to the West End and Broadway. The drama is directed by Jeremy Herrin (Graces Pervades, Every Brilliant Thing, People, Places and Things) and the story comes from the undisputed master of the modern spy books. As one of TIME Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels, it is compelling stuff.

You'll meet British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, a world-weary experienced spy who is more than ready to come in from the cold. But arch-spymaster George Smiley has one more mission for Leamas, and it isn't just lethal. It is personal. Leamas agrees and so begins a tense adventure into enemy territory, where his convictions are questioned and defences breached by a compassionate woman. Can she melt his icy heart, and will he live to tell the tale?

John Ramm (King Lear, Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies) plays George Smiley, with Rory Keenan (Somewhere Boy, The Regime) as Alec Leamas and Agnes O’Casey (Black Doves) as Liz Gold. Gunnar Cauthery (Dear England) is Hans-Dieter Mundt and the rest of the cast are the same people who made the original Chichester production so special: Philip Arditti (Breathtaking) plays Fielder, Norma Atallah (Mama Mia!, Rome) plays Miss Crail/President of the Tribunal, and Matt Betteridge (Slow Horses) plays Riemeck/Kiever. Ian Drysdale (Firebrand) is Control, Tom Kanji (Richard My Richard) is Ashe and David Rubin (Grantchester) plays Pitt/Ford.

Creative-wise the designer is Max Jones, there's lighting design from Azusa Ono, and the composer is Paul Englishby. Sound design comes from Elizabeth Purnell and the movement director is Lucy Cullingford. Fight director Bret Yount, voice director Hazel Holder, and casting director Jessica Ronane CDG complete the picture. This Chichester Festival Theatre play is produced in the West End by The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions in association with Nica Burns.

Buy tickets for John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a thrilling, fast-paced best-seller spy story.

Playing at Soho Place Theatre (@sohoplace)

2 Soho Place, London, WC2H 8LS GB (venue info)

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