In a Cold War era, the story follows an unhinged United States Air Force General who launches a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the Soviet Union. The story separately follows the President of the United States and his advisers as they try to stop a B-52 from bombing the Soviet Union and starting a nuclear war.
“Gentlemen, let’s not fight in here. This is a war room.”
The show opens with a dozen soldiers standing in line to attention, and singing. As out-of- sync with the premise of the show this sounds, the start of the song is more reminiscent of an army concert than anything. However, within a few lines, the soldiers begin tapping their feet and clicking their fingers along to the music. In just a few seconds, the audience is laughing and quite intrigued, whilst trying to figure out if this show is a sombre or satirical one. It becomes abundantly clear in a matter of seconds that, much to the happy surprise of this reviewer, it was the latter. Throughout the show, the comedic genius becomes more and more clear, as the jokes become more and more unhinged.
Steve Coogan, playing the title role amongst others, can only be described as a comedic chameleon. His performance as Dr Strangelove is absolutely superb, stealing the show just by making an appearance. The character is an ex-Nazi scientist, which can only mean that inappropriate jokes and physicality are practically inevitable, and so they were.
However, much to this reviewer’s surprise, it was done in a way that was (for lack of a better word) sophisticated enough to merit a general outburst of laughter at every joke. Coogan also took the role of a British soldier, whose hilarity came less from the words, and much more from the tone of voice and mannerisms. All in all, this showed Coogan’s breadth of talent, as each character was so distinctive that at times, it was difficult to tell that they were
played by the same actor.
Beyond the script’s hilarity and historical accuracy, the show’s five stars is also attributed to the set design by Hildegard Bechtler. From the Air Force General’s office to the war room, the transitions were as smooth as they were entertaining. Soldiers rushing across the stage dragging with them pieces of set to lay them out methodically, and strategically in their rightful positions. The war room was composed of a large round desk and a massive ring light overhead, making the room seem more akin to a fighting ring with harsh and strong lighting shining down upon it. The back of the stage alternated between an army base with dark and fiery-red light shining upon tall buildings, and a large map outlining the position of
the incoming air raids on the Soviet Union. The latter was also projected on screens on either sides of the theatre’s three floors, a great attention to detail as it was slightly obstructed by the ring-light for much of the audience.
Overall, Dr Strangelove is a brilliant play full of laughs, and provides opportunities to marvel over creative set design, and reflect on its sad historical accuracy. Multiple viewings can only be encouraged, with hopes that this play extends farther than its original closing date.
Dr Strangelove is currently running at the Noel Coward Theatre until 25th October 2025. For tickets and more information, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Manuel Harlan
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