REVIEW - THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD AT THE LOWRY - A COLD WAR THEATRE TRIP WITH MUM
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold at The Lowry
On Wednesday 22nd July, Mum and I headed to The Lowry to see The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
I went into this one knowing very little about the story. I'd never read John le Carré's famous novel or seen any of the previous film or television adaptations, so I was experiencing the story completely fresh.
Dad dropped us off opposite the Imperial War Museum North at around 7pm and from there we made the short walk across the bridge towards The Lowry.
We arrived with around half an hour to spare before the 7:30pm performance.
Once inside, one of the first things I did was head over to the Box Office to collect my programme.
Programmes & Merchandise 🛍️
After collecting my programme, Mum and I headed over to have a look at the merchandise available for the production.
There was actually quite a large selection compared with some plays I've seen recently.
The merchandise included:
👕 T-Shirt, sizes S-L – £30
👜 Tote Bag – £25
📓 Notebook – £20
☕ Travel Mug – £16
📖 Script – £12
📚 Clothbound Book – £22
I didn't buy anything this time, although I always enjoy having a look at what is available before heading into the auditorium.
After looking at the merchandise, it was almost time for the performance to begin, so Mum and I headed into the Lyric Theatre to find our seats.
Our Seats At The Lowry 🎟️
For this performance we were seated in Stalls Row N, Seats 25 and 26.
I was really pleased with the seats. They were centrally positioned and gave us a clear, uninterrupted view of the actors and everything happening across the stage.
There was, however, one part of the set that we couldn't fully appreciate from this position.
A detailed map had been built into the stage floor, but from our seats in the stalls very little of it was visible. I didn't realise just how detailed the design was until I saw the official production photographs afterwards.
I imagine anyone sitting higher up in the Circle or Upper Circle would have a much better overall view of the floor design, although for watching the actual performance I thought our view from Row N was excellent.
The play began promptly at 7:30pm.
Act One lasted approximately 60 minutes before a 20-minute interval, followed by another 60-minute second act. The performance finished at around 9:50pm.
The Story & My Thoughts 🕵️
Set during the Cold War, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold follows British intelligence officer Alec Leamas.
After witnessing one of his agents being killed while attempting to cross the border in Berlin, Leamas believes he is finally ready to leave the dangerous world of espionage behind.
Instead, he is persuaded to take on one final mission.
Back in London, he begins living under a new identity and takes a job in a library, where he meets Liz Gold. From there, the story becomes increasingly complicated as Leamas finds himself surrounded by secrets, betrayal and people whose true loyalties aren't always clear.
Without giving too much away, there are a lot of twists.
As someone coming to the story completely fresh, I found the first half quite challenging to follow at times. There are lots of characters to meet and plenty of information to take in, and there were moments where I thought I had worked something out only for another twist to completely change what I thought was happening.
The second half worked much better for me.
Once the bigger picture started to come together, I found myself much more invested in the story and genuinely wanted to know how everything was going to end.
This also isn't the type of spy story filled with car chases, gadgets and huge action sequences. Most of the tension comes from the conversations between the characters and never being completely sure who can actually be trusted.
Staging, Lighting & Performances 🎭
The staging itself is quite simple, but it works well for the story.
The Berlin Wall dominates the back of the stage for much of the production, while smaller pieces of furniture are brought on and off to create the different locations.
As I mentioned earlier, there is also a large map built into the floor. It's a really clever part of the design, although unfortunately much of it is lost if you're sitting at stalls level.
I really liked the lighting throughout the show. Searchlights, dark shadows and small pools of light helped create a tense atmosphere, while the sound and music added to that feeling without overpowering the dialogue.
Ralf Little is rarely off stage as Alec Leamas and gives a really strong performance. He manages to show someone who has spent years surrounded by lies and secrets and has reached a point where trusting anybody has become almost impossible.
Gráinne Dromgoole is equally impressive as Liz Gold and brings a much warmer side to the story. I enjoyed her scenes with Ralf Little, particularly because they give the production a chance to slow down amongst all the twists and information.
Tony Turner also gives a calm and measured performance as George Smiley, while Nicholas Murchie commands attention as Control. Peter Losasso is suitably intimidating as Hans-Dieter Mundt and Eddie Toll also impresses as Fiedler.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but I thought the cast did a really good job of making each one feel different and helping the story stay clear.
The Journey Home 🚗
Once the performance had finished at around 9:50pm, Mum and I made our way back out of The Lowry.
Dad had come back to pick us up, so thankfully we didn't have to worry about catching a late tram home.
We chatted about the show on the journey back, particularly how complicated we had both found parts of the story and what we thought of the performances.
Final Thoughts ⭐
Overall, I'm glad I got the chance to see The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, even though it probably wasn't the easiest story to go into knowing absolutely nothing beforehand.
I struggled with parts of the first half and spent quite a bit of time trying to work out who was really working for whom, but I enjoyed the second half much more once everything started to make sense.
The performances are strong throughout and I particularly enjoyed Ralf Little and Gráinne Dromgoole, while the simple staging, lighting and sound all help create the tense Cold War atmosphere.
It wasn't one of my favourite plays I've seen this year, but there was still plenty I appreciated about the production and I'm glad I had the chance to see it.
Mum felt quite similarly. She said this one wasn't really for her and, like me, she found parts of the story quite difficult to follow. She wouldn't choose to see it again, although she did think Ralf Little was really good as Alec Leamas.
Even though the production wasn't completely for either of us, it was still another lovely theatre evening to share with Mum.
More Information About The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 📍
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is at The Lowry until Saturday 25th July 2026, tickets are available from the Lowry wedsite.
For more information about the production, including future tour dates and show information, visit the official The Spy Who Came in from the Cold website.
If you'd like to read my more theatre-focused review, you can also head over to All About Theatre.
🎥 Watch Our Theatre Trip In My Weekly Vlog
If you'd like to see what Mum and I got up to during our trip to see The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, our theatre visit will also feature in Weekly Vlog #461. Our trip to the show begins at 01:08 in the video, although the vlog also includes some other family moments from our week.
At a Glance
📍 Venue: The Lowry, Salford
📅 Date Attended: Wednesday 22nd July 2026
⏱️ Runtime: Approx. 2 hours 20 minutes including interval
☕ Interval: Approx. 20 minutes
🎭 Genre: Cold War Spy Drama
💺 Our Seats: Stalls Row N, Seats 25 & 26
👀 Seat View: Excellent clear and central view of the stage, although the floor design is difficult to appreciate from stalls level
📖 Programme Available: Yes
🛍️ Merchandise Available: T-Shirts, Tote Bags, Notebooks, Travel Mugs, Scripts and Clothbound Books
👕 T-Shirt: £30, sizes S-L
👜 Tote Bag: £25
📓 Notebook: £20
☕ Travel Mug: £16
📖 Script: £12
📚 Clothbound Book: £22
🚗 Travel: We were dropped off opposite the Imperial War Museum North and walked across the bridge to The Lowry
🚋 Public Transport: The Lowry is accessible by tram and bus
🌍 Further Tour Dates: Visit the official production website for future dates and show information
Our tickets for this performance were kindly gifted for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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