Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene is set during the Cold War. Nobody knew who they could trust or who was spying on who. These themes run throughout the play.

The exceptional cast of four play a wide range of characters who are connected in someway to Voice 1 (Jack Aston)  the unlikely spy in Havana whose apparently selling vacuum cleaners, not just any vacuum but the top of the range with attachments. His daughter, who lives with him and goes to school in Havana, is played by Jodie Steele and is about to celebrate her 16th birthday.

The storyline follows his journey through the darker side of Havana, Cuba where he is avoiding on a daily basis from being shot, an attempted poisoning, and generally staying alive while gathering information for his bosses back in England. While at the same time creating a team of fake agents working alongside him.

The dialogue and pace of the play are quick and, at times, confusing as he moves through the world of spies and flying under the radar. If you watch the play through the lens of a spy, you can accept that there are things taking place that you will not fully understand or keep up with as the nature of their job is complex.

Voice 2 and 3 are played by Bob Barrett and Leon Ockendon. The cast has a strong working relationship on stage, and this is apparent through the complexity of the script, and nobody made a mistake throughout the evening, which  is a huge credit to all of them and director Philip Wilson. As the play is dialogue heavy and the character changes are fast and frequent.

My advice is to watch and follow what you can rather than try to make sense of everything. However, a special mention has to go to the set designer. Julie Godfrey, which is incredible and captures the colours and climate of a hot summer in Havana.

For more information about Our Man In Havana and future productions at Salisbury Playhouse, please use the link below.

Four Stars.

Photo credit Jack Merriman

https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/our-man-in-havana

Credits
Graham Greene-Writer
Clive Francis-Adaptor
Philip Wilson-Director