Mischief Theatre, the team behind Olivier award-winning ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, are now in Summer residence at London’s Noel Coward Theatre with their new sixties spy spoof ‘The Comedy About Spies’.

Aptly named, you know exactly what you’re getting. Russian and American spies come to London for ‘Project Midnight’, the hunt for a weapon so powerful that it could take out the whole USA. When you combine this extraordinary event with the very ordinary young romantic couple trying to propose, a luckless actor auditioning for the role of James Bond, and a bumbling hotel manager awaiting a secret shopper, you are treated to a hilarious, fast-paced, laugh-a-minute farcical adventure.

Mischief’s own Henry Lewis & Henry Shields have exquisitely written a huge feat of complicated misunderstandings, over-the-top characters and ridiculous mix-ups which ends up with a Fawlty Towers meets Alan Ayckbourn classic that you can’t take your eyes off.

When David Farley’s beautifully grand set design is revealed, it’s a sight to behold itself. Four bedrooms stacked over two levels in which radios are bugged, windows are abseiled from and even large holes in floorboards are created.

Matt Dicarlo’s slick and energetic direction sweeps the audience into a glorious frenzy of laughter. He oozes every bit of comedy possible from the piece with not only bad jokes galore but some laugh-out-loud visual and slapstick gags too. Tied with some crisp, polished movement sequences from Shelley Maxwell, set to Jon Fiber’s (slightly piercing at times) sound design, it’s clean and silly family fun which will appeal to most generations.

The large cast of eight principal performers together with six ensemble give strong performances, particularly Shields & Lewis who also star in the piece they have written. Dave Hearn as American agent ‘Lance Buchanan’ brings wonderful physical comedy and Greg Tannahill stands out as the whizzy and babbling Hotel Manager ‘Albert Tipton’ with some hilarious memorable moments.

The production possibly peaks at the interval. Act One a masterclass in the old classic French farce with doors slamming simultaneously and constant mistaken identities. Normally the best comedies have to lay the groundwork early on for the hysterical pay offs later but the second act here is a lot of storytelling to finish character journeys. A shame that I didn’t have the same belly ache from laughing leaving the theatre as I had at the interval.

That said, it’s an outstanding night at the theatre and wonderfully silly escapism from the real world outside. Long may Mischief continue causing mischief. I spy a hit.

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