Review: King's Theatre comes in from the cold with engaging tale of spies and spying
A Splinter of Ice
King’s Theatre, Leven Street
FOUR STARS (out of five)
On opening night, a thrill of excitement ran through the auditorium as the socially distanced and masked audience nervously settled down to watch A Splinter of Ice, the new play from Ben Brown. Gentle, witty and engaging, the piece, which runs all this week, is a delightful study of friendship, deftly underplayed by a masterful cast of just three.
It's Moscow 1987 and the cold war is beginning to thaw. Novelist Graham Greene has traveled to the Soviet Union to meet his old MI6 boss, 'Lucky Kim', of Philby, Burgess and Maclean infamy.
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Hide AdUnder the watchful eye of Philby’s last wife, Rufa, the pair set about catching up and reliving the past. Just how much did the writer of The Third Man know about Philby’s secret life as a spy and did Philby betray his friend as well as his country?
As Greene and Philby respectively, Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer prove consummate story-tellers. Boxer brings wariness and weariness in equal measure to the traitorous spymaster while Davies attempts to understand his motivation bringing a forensic keenness to his questioning.
As the pair verbally spar, a genuine affection shines through, never more so than when Karen Ascoe's compassionate, but no nonsense Rufa is on stage, taking charge.
Directed with a fluid touch by Alan Strachan on a minimalist and effective set designed by Michael Pavelka, A Splinter of Ice is intriguing walk through the life of one of the most vilified characters of the Cold War and the ideal piece of storytelling to reintroduce audiences to the intimacy of the King's.
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Hide AdIt’s worth noting that audience members are asked to arrive 15 minutes before the performance to allow staff to check them in on Track and Trace and dispense hand sanitiser before they enter the building.
Run ends Saturday, July 17