Steve Coogan

Dr Strangelove review — Steve Coogan impresses but it’s oddly stolid

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Oliver Alvin Wilson, Steve Coogan and Dharmesh Patel in Dr Strangelove MANUEL HARLAN
Oliver Alvin Wilson, Steve Coogan and Dharmesh Patel in Dr Strangelove
MANUEL HARLAN

By Clive Davis

The comedian plays all four main characters with aplomb, but this reboot at the Noël Coward theatre in London could have done with more creative flourishes

At the end, as we shuffled out of the auditorium, a wickedly funny Randy Newman song, Political Science, played over the speakers. The mischievous call to set the world free by dropping nukes made an ironic coda to Vera Lynn singing We’ll Meet Again.

It also made you wish the show’s co-adaptors, Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley, had applied a few more creative flourishes to what is, all in all, a stolid remake of the classic Stanley Kubrick Cold War satire.

Don’t get me wrong: this is still a decent star vehicle for Steve Coogan, who outdoes Peter Sellers by taking on four rather than three of the main characters. As well as portraying US president Merkin Muffley, RAF Group Captain Mandrake and the sinister title character, he straps himself into the cockpit of a B-52 bomber as Major Kong, the gung-ho pilot intent on carrying out the order to lay some megatons on the evil Russkies.

It’s a reboot that will appeal most of all to Coogan fans who aren’t familiar with the film, which celebrated its 60th birthday this year. If you do know the original, it’s fun to hear some of the slivers of extra dialogue added by Iannucci and Foley after scrolling through Kubrick’s notebooks and drafts.

All the same, set designer Hildegard Bechtler’s war room is never going to look as imposing as Ken Adam’s James Bond-like screen creation. And if the scale model of the B-52, flying high over a video backdrop, gives the second half of the show an undeniable kick, the rest of the production looks cramped in the confines of the Noël Coward.

Still, Coogan handles all the roles with aplomb. His Mandrake is a bumbler with more than a hint of King Charles, and he brings an aura of playful menace to Strangelove, who, in contrast to the film’s villain, is instantly plagued by robotic tics.

How is the star manoeuvred into his many costume changes? Iannucci and Foley — who is also the director — solve that problem by inserting time-killing ploys and a presidential stand-in. It’s all a little distracting.

While I’ve often complained that video imagery sometimes seems to be pushing flesh-and-blood actors aside in the West End, this is one venture where a little more hi-tech trickery would have been welcome.

Giles Terera gives us a breezy impersonation of General Buck Turgidson, the manic hawk who cheerfully runs the numbers on a nuclear holocaust. No one could ever improve on George C Scott’s original, but if you’ve never seen the movie you’ll still be impressed.
★★★☆☆

Source: Dr Strangelove review — Steve Coogan impresses but it’s oddly stolid

New Trailer for ‘The Penguin Lessons’ featuring Steve Coogan

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Starring Oscar nominee Steve Coogan, this endearing new film from director Peter Cattaneo follows an Englishman’s personal and political awakening after he adopts a little penguin during a cataclysmic period in Argentine’s history. He finds the small penguin covered with oil and cleans him up, making a new friend in the process.

Source: New Trailer for ‘The Penguin Lessons’ Feat. Steve Coogan + a Penguin | FirstShowing.net

Dr Strangelove director Sean Foley on Steve Coogan’s extraordinary performance

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By Lauren Murphy

It started with a phone call. “I thought it was a hoax,” Sean Foley says. “But in my mind’s eye I could immediately see that this could be really fun. It was one of those amazing phone calls that sometimes happen in our business, from the two producers — who basically said, ‘Do you wanna adapt and direct Dr Strangelove for the stage?’”

Foley, an experienced theatre director, writer and actor, jumped at the chance to work on the first-ever stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 film Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The Cold War satire, which stars Steve Coogan in multiple roles (originally played by Peter Sellers in the film), opened in London’s West End in October and will transfer to Dublin for a run at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in February.

“It’s an amazing story,” Foley says, nodding. “Kubrick himself called it a ‘nightmare comedy’, which is a great phrase, I think. So I was attracted to the material and the challenge of being able to stage something like that. It’s basically a comedy about the end of the world.”

 

Sean Foley in an empty theater.
Sean Foley jumped at the chance to work on the first-ever stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s classic
KRIS ASKEY

Foley co-adapted the script with Armando Iannucci, a man who is well versed in satirical and political fare, having created, written and directed the TV series The Thick of It and Veep, films In the Loop and The Death of Stalin, as well as co-creating (with Coogan) one of culture’s most enduring comedy characters in Alan Partridge.

“I didn’t want all the blame if it went wrong,” Foley says, laughing. “I’d known Armando for a very long time, but we’d never worked together, so I thought he’d be an absolutely perfect person to work with on the adaptation. I gave him a bell and it took him a nanosecond to say yes. It could be a poisoned chalice if you get it wrong, but I think we both felt we could bring something to it in remaking it for another medium, and in remaking it for a new audience.”

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Steve Coogan sends touching letter to recently reopened ‘people’s pub’ 

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Comedian and actor Steve Coogan has sent a touching letter to a pub in Greater Manchester that once served as his local. The 58-year-old performer, who originally hails from Middleton, wrote to the Roebuck pub in Alkrington after it reopened last month following a major £1m revamp and a name change back to its original.

As part of an aim to become embedded back into the local community, the pub reclaimed its original 1960s name after being renamed as the Thornberries pub for some time. Described by locals as a ‘people’s pub’, the refurbishment of the venue featured a new indoor wraparound bar, a stunning beer garden and a spacious private function room.

In his letter, Steve, who is most known for his portrayal of Alan Partridge, said The Roebuck was his local pub in the 1980s and gave it his blessing for its new lease of life. He studied at Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School in the borough before going to learn drama at Manchester Polytechnic.

In a personal message sent to the pub’s new owners, the Joseph Holt brewery, he wrote:

“Good luck to the Roebuck. One of my locals in the 80s. It used to be full of bleach blonde perms and deep tans…and that was just the fellas!

“Glad it’s going to be a local again for the local community. I’ll be sure to pop in for a pint soon. Best, Steve.”

Responding to the message, Mark Norbury, Pub Director at Joseph Holt, said: The Roebuck offers a warm invitation to everyone. And we have let Steve Coogan know that whenever he is in town he can be assured of a hearty local welcome and a drink on us.”

The pub’s revert back to its original name thanks to a competition run by Joseph Holt to decide what its namesake would be. Linda Murray, 63, won the competition and was invited to cut the ribbon on its opening night last month.

“I have lived in Alkrington since 1971 when I was 11 years old, so for most of my late teens and 20s I did most of my socialising in The Roebuck,” Linda explained. “It was a great pub, almost everyone from Alkrington under 35 used to drink in the Roebuck.

“Alkrington was known as the place where the Roebuck was and people from surrounding areas used to come and enjoy a great night out.”

The Roebuck is on 179A Kirkway, Middleton, M24 1LW.

Source: Steve Coogan sends touching letter to recently reopened ‘people’s pub’ in Greater Manchester