Ralf Little stars in espionage thriller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre ̶ review

Thanks to Wales Millennium Centre for providing review tickets for The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, John le Carré’s genre-defining novel of espionage and Cold War deception, is given the stage treatment in a chilling new production currently at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff as part of a UK tour.

Adapted for the stage for the first time by award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge, it premiered in 2024 with a sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, before transferring to the West End in November 2025.

It comes to Cardiff mid-way through a six-month UK tour, with Ralf Little at the helm as Alec Leamas, a disillusioned British intelligence officer taking on one dangerous last assignment.

Dispatched into enemy territory as part of a plan to bring down the man who killed his colleague and friend Karl Riemech, Leamas uncovers deception, manipulation, and divided loyalties with twists and turns unfolding along the way.

With Little best known for lighter and more humorous TV roles including Death in Paradise and The Royle Family, I loved seeing a different more serious side of him as jaded spy Alec Leamas. It’s a demanding role, he’s on stage for pretty much the entire two hours and carries much of the plot as he delves into the complexities of a character caught not knowing who to trust.

Joining him are Gráinne Dromgoole as quiet librarian and Communist party member Liz Gold, who unwittingly finds herself embroiled in the deception; his backstabbing colleague George Smiley (Tony Turner, who appears watchful and mysterious above the stage for much of the performance, a figure of Leamas’ imagination at times) and Nicholas Murchie as the ruthless Control.

I heard one theatre goer on the way out say they thought it could have been ‘more dramatic’. I get what they mean but don’t quite agree – this is not your James Bond style action spy movie with speeding car chases and shoot outs, it’s a more subtle kind of drama and is all the more sinister and chilling for it. However, it would have benefitted from less vast space on the stage and a more intense focus on the action. The staging is all very minimal – a few props where required and the barbed wired Berlin Wall foreshadowing in the background. The plot is so tense and claustrophobic at times that elements like the torture and prison scenes feel diluted because the staging is so open. That said, the lighting is atmospheric, with subtle spotlights illuminating the drama and focussing your attention, and the sharp tailored suits and trench coats alongside the noir music conjure up the era.

The age guidance is 12+ but I’d say that very much depends on the child. I took my 14-year-old who loves anything with mystery, intrigue, deception, politics and war. I’m not sure my other children would have appreciated in quite the same way, but it certainly gave us plenty to discuss on the way home and even a desire to read the novel.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff until Saturday 2 May

Tickets, from £17, are still available although limited availability for some performances

Age guidance 12+, running length 2h 10 including interval. Book online here.

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Also coming up at Wales Millennium Centre

Bluey’s Big Play, 7-10 May

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, 14-17 May

The Choir of Man, 19-23 May