Abundant in silliness and insanity, the comedy about spies is characteristically Mischief in the best way
A bonkers pseudo-Cold War play from Mischief Theatre, and directed by Matt Dicarlo, The Comedy about Spies hosted its gala afternoon to welcome back a limited run with the original cast and creators (August 11th – September 26th). From the makers of the Comedy About a Bank Robbery and the Play that Goes Wrong, Henry Shields and Henry Lewis have created a 60s farce that parodies the spy thrillers and the fictional worlds of Le Carre.
The gags are fairly predictable for a Cold War farce – absurd gadgets, bugged radios, mistaken identities, etc. This is not a work of genius. But, and the but is very important, the show is the silly that is Mischief’s wonderful trademark. And this play is abundant with silly. Even with the more predictable or obvious elements of the piece, the chaos that quickly escalates casts aside all predictability, making space for complete, but greatly entertaining, insanity.
The success of Mischief Theatre is manifest in the effulgent set and design. The splendour of the sets and more technical elements are very impressive and facilitate a successful abundance of physical comedy and slapstick.
The actors are all, needless to say, fantastic, and all suitably ridiculous. Chris Leask is hilarious as Sergei Ivanov, Shields is stupidly sympathetic as Bernard Wright, and Nancy Zamit is, as always, brilliant. The same goes for the rest.
Whilst the piece is slick in its pandemonium, the IP that works so well for Mischief Theatre is their work in meta-theatre and the hysteria of actors in general. This is evidenced in the Comedy About Spies in its absence. The one time the fourth wall is acknowledged is, in fact, the show’s funniest and most successful gag.
It’s impressive – I think – that in a show so resplendent with puns and parody there are actually a plethora of storylines to tie up. And that they are all, indeed, tied up. Ludicrously so – of course – but tied up, nonetheless. This is an accomplished, high-octane farce that pokes fun at Cold War sensibilities and the profusion of thrillers that fictionalised the epoch. This is not a groundbreaking comedy that reinvents the funny wheel, but it is silly, it is funny, and it is very entertaining. Mischief continues to succeed. Hopefully, for a long time yet.
This show runs at Adelphi Theatre until 26th September. Tickets here.