Nöel Coward Theatre
Comedy from a subject that's quite dark and unsettling. Close attention to detail in every element of this show and a fantastic performance by Steve Coogan.
Tension is high in Dr Strangelove, the comedy does not stop and the production value is a high standard. Dr Strangelove is a stage adaptation of the 1964 Stanley Kubrick film 'Dr Strangelove'. This review is focusing on the stage piece and it's value, having not seen the film. However, having seen the show I'm now very much influenced to watch the film to compare, because it was an intriguing story line.
Set in America, during an uneasy period in the late 1900s, 'The Cold War' and the show moves through an array of settings. The most used setting is the 'War Room' at The Pentagon. The drama stems from the plan of attacking the Soviet Union with a nuclear strike and realising this may lead to doomsday. The tension comes from the characters coming up with a plan of how to reverse what was ordered, liaise with Russia and choose where to let them attack. An unsettling concept; which feels relevant to the conflicts the world is facing at this current point in time. Having to sacrifice a big number of people to save the lives of an even bigger number of lives? How can you decide that? The comedy of this piece shows how ludicrous and insane the idea of that decision is. It sparks your brain to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Steve Coogan shines brightly in this show, he plays an array of roles and embodies each character. The hard work that has gone into, firstly him differentiating his characters and then concealing how he has changed character through production elements makes it a shock when you realise it's him playing these other characters. For instance, there is a scene he plays President Muffley and he gets called off to take a phone call and you see him standing at the back of the stage on the phone, but he comes on as Dr Strangelove and you can still see Muffley in the background, I never noticed the switch between Coogan and his look a like double, which is a strong moment. The comedy he brings to the piece through his characterisation and comic timing is admirable and highly enjoyable to watch.
Production value of this piece is high quality. A clever moment is in act two where they bring on the front of a plane and then project the back of the plane on the screen, this gives the impression of a plane in the sky. However, the actors react when the plane moves, the reactions do not match the intensity of the plane movements, which reminded you that it was a show and the angle of the projection did not seem to match up with the front of the plane. Small elements that disengage the audience from the piece. The War Room is the most technically impressive, where they have a huge table they all sit around and phones. There is a huge digitalised board, which shows the air space and where their planes are/planning to route. The digital board is used to show an array of technology in the War Room.
The performance of General Ripper, played by John Hopkins, was also interesting. He played a character that had many layers and had an unpredictable personality. This brought comedy as many of his outbursts and the level of them were unexpected. Tony Jayawardena brought the most comedy, as Russian Ambassador Bakov. He played a sneaky character and his paranoia of being caught by the KGB was hilarious. You looked forward to his scenes, because he was such a witty and unique character.
Without a doubt this show was high quality and the lacking moments were minimal. The comedy was never ending, you do not stop laughing and it is a enjoyable watch. Considering the absurdity of the subject it does force you to leave thinking about the situation that occurs in the piece and how talking about sacrificing lives to prevent doomsday is made into comedy. Attention to detail, research and character exploration: the hard work of every production element is clear and well thought out. I have a strange love for this show!
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