Get Smart

‘Get Smart’, the play version of Mel Brooks’ hugely popular comedy-spy TV series from the 60s. It is showing at the Garrick Theatre in Meadow Street, Guildford each evening at 8.00 pm until the 8^th August.

         A Scandinavian Princess (Sally Lansley) is in danger whilst visiting Washington. The US Chief of Control (Andrew Warwick), fed up with the nervous and weepy agent 44 (Rodney Palmer), assigns agent 86, Maxwell Smart (Lee Sheppard) to guard her. However, knowing of 86’s unreliability, he has another agent, 99 (Lisa Skrypichayko) to assist Smart – and generally keep an eye on him. With some ingenious equipment supplied by Garth (Andy Croft), Smart’s safety is ensured – or is it?

        The fiendish Siegfried (Geoff Miethe) and his team of Chinese assistants (Amanda Cleaver, Renae O’Neill, Amy Russotti) are extremely cunning, perhaps even too clever for Maxwell!

         There are a couple of mad scientists (Geoffrey Fairclough, Lynn Koehler) and the Chief’s beautiful assistant (Melissa Clements) also working for CONTROL, trying to save the USA from threats.

When a TV series is copied on the stage, and most of the audience know the characters inside out, then there tends to be high expectations coupled with a low tolerance level for not delivering what is anticipated. Agent 86 is renowned for total confidence in himself, his blundering, a complete inability to appreciate when the world around him is collapsing. Smart always continues with a pan face, whilst all around are panicking. It is a very big ask to expect anyone to be as good as TV’s Don Adams, but under Ken Harris’ strong and inventive direction, Lee Sheppard comes up with all of the expressions, the short punchy diction and the many mannerisms of Smart. A superlative performance.

Lee is backed by a first-rate cast, all of whom have excellent comedic delivery and timing. A special mention of Andrew Warwick, who plays the Chief, he embodies the total frustration of having to deal with an incompetent agent, and praise for Geoff Miethe as the mean and wicked Siegfried.

The script was a little ‘aged’, but with the bright Flower-Power costumes (Lorna Mackie) miniskirts and caftans, music from the era, numerous, but slick, set changes and quality teching, the whole show flowed smoothly and had the audience laughing from beginning to end.

A tricky show to stage, but carried off competently thanks to the wonderful effects (Linda Redman) and quality performances. A show for all of the family. The season is deservedly filling fast.