The Comedy About Spies at the Adelphi Theatre
Mischief's 1960s spy farce played at the Adelphi from 1 August to 26 September 2026, with the original West End cast back for an eight-week run. It won Best New Play at this year's WhatsOnStage Awards.
About 2 hours 20 minutes, with an intervalAges 10 and up
At the Adelphi Theatre, 4 to 5 minutes' walk from Charing Cross
This show has closed
This run at Adelphi Theatre has finished.
Who's The Comedy About Spies For?
- Anyone who has seen a Mischief show and wants another. Same company, same discipline, a different decade.
- People bringing older children. It is rated 10 and over and it is broad enough to work for a mixed-age group.
- Not for you if you want something quiet or serious. It is a farce, played at speed, with gunshots and strobe in it.
About The Comedy About Spies at the Adelphi Theatre
This was a return run. The show premiered at the Noël Coward in April 2025 and came back to the Adelphi on 1 August 2026 for eight weeks, with the original West End cast: Dave Hearn, Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill, Nancy Zamit, Chris Leask and Adele James, joined by Bryony Corrigan.
It won Best New Play at the 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play, which went to Oh, Mary! in April.
The run ended on 26 September 2026. It played Tuesday to Sunday, with no Monday performance and a Sunday matinee.
What's The Comedy About Spies About?
London, the 1960s. A rogue British agent steals the plans for a top-secret weapon, and CIA and KGB spies converge on the Piccadilly Hotel to get them back. A young couple who have nothing to do with any of it are staying on the same floor, and an actor is chasing a part in a spy film.
From there it does what Mischief do: doors, disguises, mistaken identities and too many double agents, worked out at speed.
Where to See The Comedy About Spies Next
No tour or return has been announced, so there is nothing left to book after the Adelphi run.
Sign up and we will tell you first if The Comedy About Spies comes back.
FAQs
Around 2 hours 20 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
It was recommended for ages 10 and over. It had strobe lighting, haze, gunshots and mild bad language. Under-4s were not admitted, and anyone 15 or under had to be with an adult.
It won Best New Play at the 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards. It was also nominated for the Olivier for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play, which Oh, Mary! won in April.
No. It is a standalone story and it assumes nothing.
Not as things stand. Mischief has announced no UK tour and no return after the Adelphi run ended.
No, there are no plans to. A short preview of the opening scene was on the 2024 Royal Variety Performance, but the show itself is only live.
Saturday 26 September 2026.
Yes, a Sunday matinee, which is unusual in the West End. There was no Monday performance.
The Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, London WC2R 0NS. Charing Cross is four to five minutes on foot.
Where to Sit at the Adelphi Theatre
For whatever plays here next, the centre of the Stalls is the answer for most people, and the Dress Circle is 41 steps up with no lift. More on the levels in where to sit in the Stalls.
Seating plan
Dates & tickets
Getting to the Adelphi Theatre
409-412 Strand, London WC2R 0NS. Charing Cross is four to five minutes and Charing Cross mainline is four. Embankment is five to six, Covent Garden about six. Buses 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 87, 91, 139 and 176 run along the Strand.
Arrive twenty to twenty-five minutes before. One queue takes the whole audience.
Full detail is in our Adelphi Theatre guide.
Access at the Adelphi Theatre
Access bookings at the Adelphi are handled by the venue's own team, not by us.
The Stalls are the only level reachable without stairs. There is no lift: the Dress Circle is 41 steps up and the Upper Circle 71.
Address
409-412 Strand, London WC2R 0NS
Nearest Tube
Charing Cross (4-5 min walk)
The Cast
The original West End cast returned for the Adelphi run: Dave Hearn, Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill, Nancy Zamit, Chris Leask and Adele James, joined by Bryony Corrigan.
Lewis, Shields and Tannahill are among Mischief's founders, and the company built its reputation on The Play That Goes Wrong and The Comedy About a Bank Robbery.
The Comedy About Spies: What the Critics Say
It won Best New Play at the 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play, which went to Oh, Mary! in April.
The critics averaged four stars and not one went below three. They agreed on the comic machinery and split on the story: both three-star reviews said the mechanics outclass the material.
What the critics said has the full picture, with the star spread and the quotes.
Similar shows you might enjoy
Billy Elliot the Musical
Adelphi Theatre
Brian Blessed's 90th Birthday Bash
Adelphi Theatre
Ghost House
Adelphi Theatre
Kai - My Revolution
Adelphi Theatre
Layton Williams
Adelphi Theatre
Murder Trial Tonight
Adelphi Theatre