The 1964 satirical black comedy film Dr Strangelove seems like an apt choice for a timely update given its plotline is driven by an imminent nuclear threat during the Cold War triggered by a conspiracy theory-believing American General.
The setting remains the same in Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley’s adaptation which stars a multi-rolling Steve Coogan who takes on the four roles Peter Sellers was meant to play in Stanley Kubrick’s film: a hapless British RAF Captain trying to avert crisis, the US President holed up in the War Room, the titular eccentric German scientist and the warhead-riding Major Kong – an ankle injury put paid to Seller playing the latter.
By-passing the President, General Ripper (John Hopkins) has ordered a preemptive nuclear strike on Russia and set his base on lockdown. At the Pentagon, the President, supported by the war-driven General Turgidson (Giles Terera) and the meek ‘Yes Man’ advisor, Faceman (Mark Hadfield) desperately tries a way to avert crisis without access to the code that will call off the warheads, occasionally receiving Scientific support from Dr Strangelove.
Iannucci and Foley remain largely faithful to the film with an extra half-hour of light comedy added to the running time for good measure. There are only a few references to modern politics – Trump and the Middle East get overly obvious mentions – but what the play lacks is any cutting satire of modern world politics. The result is the play feels more nostalgic than contemporary.
Fans of the film will wonder how stagecraft can recreate an American pilot riding a nuclear warhead as it falls through the sky or Sellers performing with himself as different characters in the same room. Despite an impressive set by Hildegard Bechtler that wonderfully recreates the three main locations of the film, including the cockpit of a fighter jet, the warhead scene is played as a film projected onto the stage, falling flat as a result. The first character change by Coogan is an impressive moment, earning a few audible gasps from the audience as he seems to be in two places at once. Sadly, the effect is short-lived with later changes taking longer and becoming increasingly transparent.
Still, despite these things this is still an entertaining evening. Occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, particularly Coogan’s portrayal of Dr Stangelove with his out-of-control Sieg Heil-ing mechanical arm, and always engaging the play zips along at an enjoyable pace. Coogan is excellent throughout and Hopkins and Terera deliver scene-stealing performances. OK, so it’s not the biting The Thick of It-styled political satire we wanted but as far as light entertainment goes, it’s pretty good.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Good)
