The City Adventurers headed to Soho Place, to see The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a chilling dive into the world of espionage.
Opened in 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre built in over 50 years. It is a state-of-the-art “theatre-in-the-round,” meaning the audience surrounds the stage on all sides. This configuration creates a unique, claustrophobic intensity that is perfect for a thriller. There is nowhere for the characters (or their secrets) to hide.
The Play: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
For the first time in history, a masterpiece by John le Carré has been adapted for the stage. Set at the height of the Cold War in the early 1960s, the story follows Alec Leamas, a hard-bitten British intelligence officer who is “tired of the cold.”
Instead of the quiet retirement he craves, Leamas is pulled into one final, high-stakes mission: to defect to East Germany and bring down a high-ranking counter-intelligence agent. However, as the lines between truth and deception blur, he realizes he is merely a pawn in a much darker, moral chess match. This adaptation by David Eldridge strips away the glamour of Bond to reveal the grit, loneliness, and brutal pragmatism of real-world spying.
Director Jeremy Herrin used the circular stage to great effect, often leaving the center hauntingly empty to represent the “no-man’s-land” of Berlin. The production was heavy on shadows and sharp lighting, keeping the tension at a breaking point. there was a particularly harrowing scene in the second act involving an act or torture that made watching uncomfortable.
Superb acting from all involved.
- The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was playing in London until February 2026, before embarking on a major UK tour starting in March.
- The play “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold – Modern Plays” adapted by David Eldridge is available from Waterstones.
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (Paperback) by John Le Carre is also available from Waterstones.
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The UK based Social Club for people who love visiting shows, exploring new places, discovering new things and solving mysteries.
Life is a journey so experience it’s adventure with like minded people. Live the life you’ve always dreamed of. City Adventurers Membership includes invitations to adventures and travel mainly in the UK.