Review: The Comedy About Spies (Adelphi Theatre)
Photo taken by Helen Maybanks
Star rating: ★★★★★
A comedy about spies? Yes, you heard that right!
Mischief Theatre, the multi-award-winning company behind The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, has returned with a brand-new spy caper, and they are back better than ever. Due to overwhelming demand, they have brought this beloved production back to West End audiences for a limited run.
Writing an effective comedy show is no easy task; what seems hilarious on paper can easily fall flat in performance. However, writers Henry Lewis and Henry Shields did an incredible job. The Comedy About Spies delivers precisely what theatregoers are looking for. Following its initial run at the Noël Coward Theatre in 2025, the production has now transferred to the Adelphi Theatre.
Prepare for non-stop laughter (roughly 237+ laughs) packed into a two-hour-and-twenty-minute runtime, complete with Cold War secrets and an exceptionally executed set design.
Photo taken by Mark Senior
What makes this production particularly special is the genuine friendship the actors share on and off stage. During the media call, we had the opportunity to interview cast members Bryony Corrigan (Elena Popova), Dave Hearn (Lance Buchanan), Adele James (Rosemary Wilson), Chris Leask (Sergei Ivanov), and Nancy Zamit
(Janet Buchanan).
Their comedic dynamic was immediately noticeable; even during press interviews, they had us laughing from start to finish. That level of natural companionship translates effortlessly to the stage. When a cast shares such a strong bond, even the smallest unscripted moment can trigger genuine laughter, so imagine what that feels like when performing in full costume and wigs in a live comedy show! Ultimately, that authentic connection is the foundation of exceptional ensemble comedy, and it shines through in every second of the performance.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s Cold War London, the plot spirals into delightful chaos when a classified weapons design, codenamed Project Midnight, goes missing.
Before you know it, MI6, the CIA, and the KGB all converge on the Piccadilly Hotel run by flustered manager Albert Tipton (Greg Tannahill) alongside an innocent baker, Bernard Wright (Henry Shields), his level-headed partner, Rosemary Wilson (Adele James), and an actor, Douglas Woodbead (Henry Lewis), who is far too focused on his film audition to realize he’s in the middle of a real espionage operation.
Photo taken by Helen Maybanks
A central highlight of the production is David Farley’s ingenious "dolls' house" set design. By exposing four side-by-side hotel rooms, colour-coded in green, yellow, orange, and blue, the staging gives the audience a bird's-eye view of the unfolding madness.
The comedic tension created by characters narrowly missing one another or completely misinterpreting events in the adjacent room generates non-stop laughter. Enhanced by Deborah Andrews’ sharp 1960s costumes and Johanna Town’s precise lighting, every visual gag lands perfectly.
The physical comedy is relentless throughout. Standout moments range from absurd lift-shaft projections reminding Bernard that he is "just a baker," to flying stunt dummies and escalating verbal confusion sparked by simple misunderstandings. Yet, amid the door-slamming and slapstick, director Matt DiCarlo keeps the story fast-paced, crystal clear, and unexpectedly grounded in genuine heart.
The Comedy About Spies is running until 26th September 2026.
Buy your tickets here.
