A new first-look photo of Dr. Strangelove in the highly-anticipated screen-to-stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie, has been released.
Steve Coogan, who made his debut as Dr. Strangelove at Noel Coward Theatre last night, October 8, is seen leading the cast of the major West End production on a striking set of the fictitious Burpelson Airforce Base.
In the snap, he's joined by most of the cast at the iconic table, including General Buck Turgisdon (Giles Terera) General Jack D. Ripper (John Hopkins) and Jefferson President Merkin Muffley (Oliver Alvin-Wilson).
Rehearsals for the show, which is an Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley’s stage adaption of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film, kicked off last month, with a picture showing Coogan pointing at the camera as the character, wearing a suit and glasses.
Dr Strangelove is a black comedy which tells the story of an unhinged US Air Force general who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, while the president and his advisers attempt to prevent the bomb from launching.
Also joining Coogan in the cast are Penny Ashmore as Vera Lynn, Ben Deery as General Staines, Richard Dempsey as Frank, Mabli Gwynne as Swing, Mark Hadfield as Faceman, Tony Jayawardena as Russian Ambassador Bakov, Dharmesh Patel as Lincoln, and Ben Turner as Colonel Bat Guano.
The production reunites Coogan with Iannucci. The pair have collaborated many times, including on early comedy series The Day Today, Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge, and I’m Alan Partridge.
The show kicked off in preview to a sold-out audience on Tuesday night and finishes on Saturday January 25, before it moves on to Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy Theatre from Wednesday February 5 to Saturday February 22.
Theatregoers attending the play have also been warned that the production includes smoking and swearing on stage. Critics have hit out at the warning given to Dr Strangelove audiences.
The production features a warning that it “contains some flashing lights and gunshots, use of replica guns, haze, bad language and smoking onstage”.
Steve Bennett, editor of the Chortle comedy website, told the Mail on Sunday: “Given the play’s about the build-up to nuclear Armageddon, I’d absolutely hope there would be some bad language.”
