Instantly sold out for its limited run, the Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley production of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove brought the sharp satire of the classic movie to the stage, with Steve Coogan stepping into Peter Sellers’ multi-character shoes. Thankfully, one of the performances was filmed for the NT Live strand and hitting cinema screens for all to enjoy.
The stage version of the story follows Kubrick’s film fairly faithfully, and Coogan fast-changes his way through the four separate characters with ease – even when two iterations are on stage at the same time (a great gag between the President and an on-screen Strangelove is gold). With the narrative becoming worryingly prescient again, it’s good to be able to laugh at the nuclear situation, even if it’s only for a couple of hours.
This filmed version is excellently shot, however, like many stage-to-screen productions, loses some of the atmosphere inherent in a live performance, with subtle elements feeling more stagey than they otherwise would be when amplified on the big screen. It’s still a fantastic adaptation, which will have you dashing back to re-watch the Kubrick classic to compare notes. We’ll meet again, indeed.
STANLEY KUBRICK’S DR STRANGELOVE (NT Live) is in cinemas from April 27th.
