York Theatre Royal – until Saturday 10 July 2021
Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
3***
A petrol scare, a rushed covid jab and a sprint to the theatre. This was my chaotic return to the theatre, after a year and a half break, courtesy of Covid. What can I say; It’s good to be back! My return to the York Theatre Royal was to watch A Splinter of Ice by Ben Brown, a Cold War play and discussion between two seasoned friends and spies both on different sides. For the most part, the play is between Graham Greene (Oliver Ford Davies), a British Novelist and Spy, and Kim Philby (Steven Boxer, a British communist, who worked for MI6 but traded secrets with the KGB. After fleeing Britain before his treachery was fully realised, he now lives in Russia. This show is an enactment of their last meeting, as old friends, with plenty of vodka thrown in, in the last stages of their lives.
This naturalistic play is definitely tailored to an older audience, a style of play the doesn’t always interest me. The play didn’t seem to drag at a slow pace, even though it was like watching two old friends catch up. The strength of the show definitely comes from the script and the natural feel of everything. The only other actor on stage was Karen Ascoe who plays Rufa Philby, Kim’s Russian wife. All three of the cast did a good job at handling the dialogue heavy play. The set was fairly sparse and simple, a few chairs, sofa and bookcases to set the scene and metal frames resembling walls, you could just imagine this being the starkness of the former USSR.
While I personally am not a fan of this kind of theatre and this show doesn’t really appeal to me, I can see that a lot of people would enjoy it, especially the older generation. It makes for a calm evening with enough entertainment to enjoy the theatre. It will be at the York Theatre Royal until the 10th of July. So, if you’re looking for a calm evening and a return to the theatre, come and watch A Splinter of Ice.