Secret agents

Secret Agents opens with a feverish discussion of a number of rumours – talk of spiders nesting in people’s ears, lobsters found curled in human flesh and tall tales of suspect Indian food. Ostensibly, the show concerns the myths which surround an attempted terrorist attack on the London Eye which was scheduled for 2005. The varying possibilities, or apocryphal media theories of how the event was planned to pan out are observed with Verlock, a loveable drunken jazzman, as the villain.

Using a Conrad novel as template, the show is complex and ambitious for a three person performance. Each of the actors plays several roles, often switching sex or style within a sequence. A significant feature of the drama is a projected on-stage billboard which presents street scenes or insights into the ‘real life’ events the segment is based upon. This extra-narrative tool is a major strength of the play, at times offering interesting and playful polemical discourse when the wackiness of the players gets too much. Whilst the play is well written—at times the script bulges with a multifaceted intrigue—often the stuttering plotline is dizzying.

The effect of the "improvised" script (an explanation, possibly for the insistence on jazz references) is more confusing that deconstructing. If you enjoyed Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and are a fan of theatrical philosophy, then this, dear reader, is for you.