Review: SPIES ARE FOREVER: THE WEST END CONCERT, Gillian Lynne Theatre

“Once a spy, always a spy . . . Forever . . . Forever . . . ”

As a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Tin Can Bros (Corey Lubowich, Brian Rosenthal and Joey Richter), the group finally brought one of their most popular shows, Spies Are Forver, to London in a new format with a new cast. Spies Are Forever: The West End Concert, a one-night-only performance, took place on 3 September at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, with members of the Tin Can Bros joining forces with West End stars to give UK fans what they have been clamouring for for years. 

The show, written by Lubowich, Rosenthal and Richter, with music and lyrics by Clark Baxtresser and Pierce Siebers, originally premiered in 2016 in Los Angeles before being filmed and posted on YouTube, where it has since received millions of views. Since then, the cast have performed at several concerts, including on in October 2022 in New York and live concert screening in LA in July of this year. At this particular performance, directed by Lubowich, audience members were treated to all the songs from the show, along with some excerpts from scenes to make for a two-hour-long concert.

Obioma Oguola starred as Agent Curt Mega, an American spy who is still struggling years after the loss of his partner, Agent Owen Carvour (Oliver Ormson).  He is forced to push these feelings aside when the world’s at stake, going up again The Deadliest Man Alive (Dean John-Wilson) and Dr Baron von Nazi (Jak Malone).

Agent Mega is joined by Russian spy Tatiana Slozhno (Evelyn Hoskins), tech genius Barb Larvenrnor (Emily Ooi) and the head of American Secret Services, (Claire-Marie Hall). Richter, who originally played Owen Carvour, now only reprised his roles as Sergio Santos and Vanger Borschtit, while Rosenthal leaves behind von Nazi and became the Informant. 

For those unfamiliar with the show, Richter and Rosenthal act as narrators in between the songs, setting the scenes and establishing the relationships between the characters. There was also a synopsis in the programme that is quite comprehensive, giving audience members details they might not see in the concert production but would know from the original. This review will not go into many major spoilers, as the original version is accessible for free on YouTube (and highly recommended by this writer!).

Oguola was fantastic as Agent Mega, singing songs like “Spy Again” and “One More Shot” with ease. He also did a wonderful job in bringing the character’s complicated feelings over his profession and heartbreak to light while still having some great comedic moments, especially when paired with Hall as either his boss, Cynthia Houston, or his mother, affectionately called “Mama Mega.” Hall was a standout vocalist throughout the concert, easily switching between the sassy Houston to the nosy Mama Mega through voice and acting alone, as there were no costume changes. 

The role of Tatiana Slozhno is an interesting one as it subverts the typical expectations of a female spy while also exaggerating them, but Hoskins tackled it with ease, putting on a Russian accent and delivering a heartbreaking rendition of “Prisoner of My Past,” the song that reveals Slozhno’s past to Agent Mega and the audience. As Barb, Ooi was fun to watch, desperately trying to keep Agent Mega alive while hiding the fact that she’s in love with him. Her numbers, “Pay Attention!” and “Barb’s Lament,” were short yet fun, giving Ooi the chance to shine. 

After his Olivier Award-rinning role as Hester Leggatt, a secretary for MI5 in Operation Mincemeat, Malone switches sides and plays Hitler’s nephew, Dr Baron von Nazi, who is determined to finish the job his uncle had started. His song, “Not So Bad,” was a hilarious, Mel Brooks-esque song about looking at the Nazis in a more positive light.

John-Wilson takes the role of the Deadliest Man Alive, von Nazi’s accomplice, and truly made it his own, making some great choices that have not been seen in earlier productions. His version of the character clearly takes pleasure in torturing and murdering others, as shown by John-Wilson stripping off his jacket (to screams from the audience) and grinning as he delved deeper into his work. 

While he did not have a very large role, Ormson did everything he could in the role of Agent Carvour, charming his way through missions and picking up Agent Mega’s slack as they fight villains together. Special mention must be given to Emily Proudlock, who jumped into the role of Lounge Singer with less than 24 hours’ notice before the start of the show and did an absolutely fantastic job!

And, of course, for those who were already fans of the show and have watched the original version on YouTube, it was a pleasure to see Richter and Rosenthal perform live. Richter returned to the ridiculous roles of Sergio Santos (with the hilarious “Somebody’s Gotta Do It”) and Vanger Borschtit (which involved a heavy amount of improvisational vamping at the beginning of Act Two) was a delight, and it was fun to see him interact with the show as a narrator with Rosenthal. While the Informant may not be as grand of a role as von Nazi, Rosenthal was still a scene-stealer, particularly in “One More Shot.”

Spies Are Forever: The West End Concert was a brilliant example of a company with an online fanbase breathing new life into a work that has existed for many years. The combination of original cast members and West End stars made for a delightful performance appealing to old and new fans alike. Audiences in the UK can only hope that the Tin Can Bros will return in the future with some more shows!

Spies Are Forever: The West End Concert ran on 3 September at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

Read our interview with Brian Rosenthal and Joey Richter about the show here.

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