Steve Coogan triumphs as a master of multi-rolling
Dr. Strangelove | ★★★
By Georgi
With film adaptations flooding the West End in recent years, it is exciting to see a dark satire taking the stage, let alone one that stars such a talented company. As an individual who hasn’t seen the Stanley Kubrick film on screen, it was interesting for my first experience to be live, however I feel that this could have been a disadvantage.
The Noel Coward theatre is the current home of the revival of Dr Strangelove – a satirical comedy based on the 1964 film about an American general who orders an attack on the Soviet Union, which the US government have to quickly stop.
First and foremost, you can see how incredibly hard Coogan is working throughout the performance, constantly shifting into different roles which all include their own change in physicality, accent and costume. It is evident that costume and set designer Hildegard Bechtler has worked strategically and creatively to make a product that works effortlessly (which I am sure is also thanks to the backstage team!) The main set for the ‘war room’ is simple yet instantly recognisable and also somehow allows us to see each actor without any restriction whatsoever. However, the transitions that the actors presented from one scene change to another felt clunky and stumbled – it is a pity when you can feel that two performers are having to ‘fill time’ on stage.
I have seen many of these actors perform in recent years and I feel that they were not given enough to work with in this production. Giles Terera and John Hopkins for example, two actors that usually illuminate a stage with their characterisation just fell flat for me. I felt that I was witness to overacted and underdeveloped personas, but unsure where the fault of this could lie.
Similar to many current shows in the West End, they were offering £25 tickets for 16-30 year olds. It is brilliant to see that this strategy is continuing and that more producers are promoting it.
Overall I think that Dr. Strangelove was a mixed bag for me. Whilst the stamina of Coogan’s performance was excellent, it wasn’t enough to steer my enthusiasm for the production. Their website says that this production “will leave a whole new generation of audiences laughing and afraid.” – perhaps this show will hit the spot for Kubrick fans, please let me know!
Sounds and Stage
