Little Lark of London

“Peace is our profession”

Directed by Sean Foley, Dr Strangelove is the stage adaptation by Armando Iannucci and Foley of the iconic Kubrick movie from 1964 in which an American general in the Cold War gives the command to launch nuclear weapons into the Soviet Union, leading to the President of the United States gathering his men in the war room to put a stop to what has begun. The original movie starred Peter Sellers, famed actor and comedian, and this adaptation has brought in another famous name to star – Steve Coogan. 

Coogan, like Sellers, is taking on the role of not only Dr Strangelove but the roles of Captain Mandrake and President Muffley, taking it a step further than Sellers and also performing as Major Kong. The actor gives the performance of a lifetime in all four roles but absolutely shines as Strangelove himself, pretending to have a robotic arm and make Freudian slips about his previous boss. The illusions used to transform Coogan into the different characters have been choreographed by Chris Fisher and do a good job of distracting the audience from the exact moments when Coogan disappears and reappears, even though the moments are made a bit obvious through dialogue. 

Of course, Coogan is not the only one on stage, being accompanied by a brilliant cast. Giles Terera shines as General Turgidson, the trigger-happy American who may be a bit pleased that the United States are going to war with the Soviet Union. John Hopkins does a fantastic job taking on the role of General Ripper that had been originally played by Sterling Hayden. I was also particularly impressed with the American accents throughout the show! Russian Ambassador Bakov is given more of a role in the play than the move, with Tony Jawawardena doing a great job playing the secretive man.

Dr Strangelove may not label itself as a musical, but there are a few musical numbers, including the opening of the show with the cast performing “Try A Little Tenderness” by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods. And, of course, the iconic ending song of “We’ll Meet Again” sung by Vera Lynn. The preshow playlist also puts the audience in the world of the Cold War with music from the time period and the occasional noises of planes flying overhead, all arranged by Ben and Max Ringham. 

A few things have been changed from the movie in order to fit in with the more modern times. One of the secretaries from the movie whose only character trait was wearing very little clothing has been replaced with a male secretary (Richard Dempsey) who brings in the catering food. Some more minor speaking roles are added for those in the War Room, including an adorable Canadian. In one scene when the Americans are discussing who should know about the Doomsday Device, there are talks of President Muffley’s opponent from the last election, with Muffley saying, “I really wish the other man had won,” and another man responding “He still thinks he won,” one of the more obvious references to Trump made in this adaptation. 

Of course, Dr Strangelove would not be Dr Strangelove without its commentary on politics and satiric scenes. Those who are familiar with the Kubrick movie will know about General Ripper’s motivations for nuclear war, but those who are not aware may think that General’s fear of fluoride in the water was inspired by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and how the government is “turning the freaking frogs gay.” There are quite a few comments on the lifestyle choices of Americans, including their stereotypical obsession with guns and calling British accents “English noise,” unable to understand Captain Mandrake.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this production of Dr Strangelove is its dependence on video screens as not only a part of the set but for characters as well. The projections, designed by Akhila Krishnan, are decent, but sometimes fail to have the impact that a physical set could have provided – I would have loved to see more from set designer Hildegard Bechtler. When two of Coogan’s characters, Dr Strangelove and President Muffley, need to speak with one another, one is projected on a video call, something a bit strange to imagine in the time period of the Cold War when there only would have been phone calls. Not having the video would also have made the reveal of Coogan as Strangelove much more satisfying. Some usages of the video are clever, including projections for settings like the War Room, but the videos go too far when they take away from the impact of scenes, especially the climax (I won’t spoil it, but for those who know, there is one key prop that should have been physical but is not).

Ultimately, Dr Strangelove is a solid adaptation of the classic film, but with its dependence on screens, it loses the impact that it could have had. Coogan gives an incredible performance taking on the roles of Captain Mandrake, President Muffley, Major Kong and, of course, Strangelove, and there are strong performers in other roles, but they are not enough to make the production as a whole truly spectacular.

Dr Strangelove runs until 25 January at the Noel Coward Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.