The English Theatre

"Single Spies" is a double bill consisting of two one-act spy plays about the two most notorious spies of the 20th century, Guy Burgess and Sir Anthony Blunt. As members of the “Cambridge Five”—a spy ring recruited at the University of Cambridge in the 1930s—they spied for Russia during and immediately after World War II. Since both Burgess and Blunt belonged to the British elite, the plays are not only highly entertaining but also raise questions about whom one should be loyal to: one’s country—or the close-knit circle to which one feels a sense of belonging?

An Englishman Abroad tells the story of the encounter between Guy Burgess, who has fled to Russia, and Coral Browne, a renowned actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company who is performing in Moscow as part of a cultural exchange. Overjoyed to reconnect with someone from his former life in England, the play traces the brief, intense bond that develops between the two and depicts Burgess’s simultaneously tragicomic attempts to cling to his role as a Soviet citizen and to the remnants of his former identity.

A Question of Attribution follows Sir Anthony Blunt in his role as Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. He moves about Buckingham Palace with complete ease, meets with the Queen regularly, and harbors a particular fondness for a certain Titian. But there’s a problem: the painting is—like Blunt himself—a forgery. Is the Queen aware that her enigmatic servant, too, may not be who he appears to be?

Image: The English Theatre

Sept. 29–Oct. 3 + Oct. 6–10, 7:30 p.m. each day; Oct. 4 & 11, 6:00 p.m. each day

The English Theatre Frankfurt, Gallusanlage 7, Frankfurt

2for1: Tue-Thu & Sun price category 1 = 39 €, price category 2 = 35 €,
Fri & Sat price category 1 = 43 €, price category 2 = 39 €

On the day of the event, up to half an hour before the start, box office