National Theatre Live: Dr. Strangelove

If you are a Dr Strangelove fan then you should enjoy this. There are some direct lifts from the film but a lot of material is missing and replaced with new scenes - this is due to the limitations of the theatre and has been done very well and doesn't detract from the story too much.

Steve Coogan does have his 'carry pants' on here and does a lot of the heavy lifting but he is ably assisted by the characters of : Jack D Ripper, General Turgidson , Faceman and of course Colonel Bat Guano of which no rendition of this would be the same.

A very good production only like limited by it being theatre based rather than a film.

It would have been one star but for Steve Coogan. But even there it felt a bit of "let's see how clever we can be". Poor jokes badly executed and the set, to put it politely, was a mess. The attempt to bring humour and relate it to the Trump era was totally misplaced in that the present reality is outgunning the fiction. So many of the jokes had been done so many times before that I was waiting for Strangelove to say "Don't mention the war". If I had left at the interval would I have regretted it - I don't think so. Not much more to say really. Moral of the story - don't mess with original genius.

You would think that a collaboration between Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci of a Stanley Kubrick hit would be a natural remake.

Coogan and Iannuci have formidable track-records. Both seperately and together.

However, this version, regardless of the expense and prestige of The National Theatre Comany production make for a toothless, two hour plus yawn.

Steve Coogan began his career as a potent impressionist/satirist. Here, he cannot even come close to filling Peter Sellars' many roles in the 1964 original. Nor does this " explosively funny satire" ever approach explosiveness, or even satire.

You are better off visiting Coogan's fertile body of past work. The same with Iannucci's many previous successes.

This version of Dr Strangelove is a dog turd and tonic that will leave you wondering why they bothered to make it.

Not being a regular theatre goer, but a fan of Kubrick, I went not knowing what to expect, I'd watched the film many years ago. The play included a lot that I remembered I think the cast and crew did a great job with the many set changes that must have been difficult to organise. I watched Black Bag the previous night and enjoyed this more. I laughed out loud a few times, the cinema was quite empty so I suppose it lacked the atmosphere of a live theatre event. From a military accuracy perspective, Steve Coogan needs to be shown an RAF salute, the cold war uniforms and replica weapons were pretty good, the portrayal of the B52 bomber "Aluminum Angel" using a cockpit set and rear screens was quite impressive, the script editor needs to learn the difference between air force and airborne units however.

Establishing audience shots and a fifteen minute intermission just reinforced that I was in an empty cinema. I enjoyed it and I'd go to watch similar events again. Well worth it.

This stage adaptation of Dr Strangelove is an ambitious and entertaining production, though it's important to recognise that it isn't a direct match for the film - nor should it be expected to be. While it carries the essence of the original, some of that unmistakable Kubrick magic is inevitably absent. The satire, too, feels less biting at times, not because it fails, but because the world has edged so much closer to the absurdity it once mocked. Satire loses some of its punch when reality catches up with it.

There are a number of direct lifts from the film, but a fair amount of material is missing or replaced with new scenes. These changes are a result of the limitations of theatre, but they've been handled deftly and don't detract significantly from the overall story.

Steve Coogan certainly carries the production, but he's supported by strong performances from the characters of Jack D. Ripper, General Turgidson, Faceman and Colonel Bat Guano.

All in all, it's a very good production, cleverly adapted for the stage. While it may not fully capture the cinematic brilliance of Kubrick's film, fans of Dr Strangelove should still find much to enjoy.