Synopsis

The first time a John le Carré novel has ever been performed on stage, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has been adapted by David Eldridge, with Jeremy Herrin as Director. 

Starring John Ramm as George Smiley, Rory Keenan as Alec Leamas and Agnes O'Casey as Liz Gold, the production opened at Chichester Festival Theatre's Minerva Theatre on 21st August 2024.

At the height of the Cold War, disillusioned British spy Alec Leamas is persuaded by the head of The Circus and veteran agent George Smiley to stay ‘in the cold’ for one last risky operation against the powerful leader of the East German Secret Service.

But Leamas has committed a cardinal error: he has fallen in love. After a lifetime of deception and betrayal, can there be room for humanity in the ruthlessly manipulative world of international espionage?

David Eldridge’s plays include Beginning and Middle for the National Theatre, and his adaptation of Festen (Almeida, West End and Broadway). Director Jeremy Herrin, whose Chichester work includes This House, Another Country and South Downs, makes a welcome return following recent London productions of A Mirror and Ulster American.