Jack Michael Stacey and Matthew Howell are co-authors of Spy Movie: The Play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

This hilarious parody of Bond films and fringe theatre promises an hour of fun, silliness and laughter. The show follows a frustrated screenwriter who invites an audience of producers to a one-off screening of her spy film masterpiece, using creative, low-budget tricks to capture the essence of a Hollywood action movie.

Spy Movie: The Play is a collaboration between Stacey and Howell, both alumni of Mischief Theatre. The show combines their love of fringe theatre and Hollywood films, particularly the Bond franchise.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp

Audiences can expect a unique blend of comedy, action and theatrical ingenuity.

Spy Movie: The Play takes place from 31 July to 26 August (excluding 6, 13 and 20 August) in the Pleasance Courtyard, with performances at 12:00. Tickets are available now.

You’re bringing Spy Movie: The Play to the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe. What can you tell us about the show?

Jack: SPY MOVIE: The Play! Is… The Best Spy Movie (n)Ever Made!

Matt: It’s about a screenwriter (Emily Waters) who stages her epic Hollywood blockbuster script as a low-budget play after the producer (Matthew Howell) fails to find financing for the film. The play-within-a-play stars an actress (Jo Hartland) as Jane Blonde, a super spy, who gains the powers of EVIW (Every Villain in World) in a race against time to save the world.

The unique thing about our show is that the audience can see two shows at once; the play of the characters trying to stage the film and the film itself, brought to life on stage with every cheap trick at their disposal, no expense spared. Imagine a Hollywood action film crammed into a tiny basement theatre in the heart of Edinburgh. Can’t do that? Then come to the show!

The show is a parody of Bond films and fringe theatre. How did you come up with the concept for Spy Movie: The Play?

Matt: Jack and I met while working on The Play That Goes Wrong (West End), and started writing together in 2019. Since then, we’ve written on several projects, including The New Musketeers (published by Methuen) and Section 13, a sitcom pilot that did quite well in the BAFTA Rocliffe competition, and which inspired us to write SPY MOVIE: The Play! when we first got a slot to perform a show at The Hope Theatre in London.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp

Jack: Although it is a parody of the spy genre, SPY MOVIE: the Play! was born from a combination of our mutual love of spy films and our varied and often hilarious experience producing fringe shows on a shoestring budget. If you love genre films, or have ever dreamed of making a film, performing a play, or participating in a dream bigger than your means or budget allow, then our show will
resonate with you. We want to show how, whatever your budget, the heart of every blockbuster or low-budget theatre show is imagination, and we ask our audiences to use the limitless budget of their minds to imagine a Hollywood epic unfolding before their eyes in a stuffy Edinburgh theatre.

Matt: After receiving some excellent 4 star (Reviews Hub, Broadway World, Broadway Baby) and 5 star (West End Best Friend) reviews at The Hope, we decided to head to The Pleasance where we were lucky enough to be offered a spot at our favourite venue on the Fringe!

Spy Movie: The Play uses creative, low-budget tricks to capture the essence of a Hollywood action film. Can you share some examples of these tricks and how they enhance the execution?

Jack: One of the things we wanted to achieve with SPY MOVIE: The Play! was that we only had the budget and the capabilities of our characters at our disposal, while we were trying to stage an epic cinematic masterpiece on a fringe stage in Edinburgh.

Matt: This means we ask the audience to fill in the blanks and use their imaginations until they get a headache. Our show is suitable for ages 9-99, and we encourage people of all ages, fans of the genre and newcomers of all ages, to come to the show and enjoy the joy of poking fun at fringe theater and the film industry. We use party poppers for million-dollar explosions, cardboard cutouts for sets that roll by during epic toy car chases, and Barbie dolls in place of our actors for wide shots and stunts.

Jack: This freedom to do anything on stage means that the possibilities for the story are endless. We don’t consider anything impossible, including a space journey in an epic finale that can rival a big-budget Hollywood film.

How did your experience with Mischief Theatre influence your work on this show?

Jack: Almost the entire company has worked with Mischief Theatre and our experience with them has been invaluable in learning how to approach comedy. However, as we were keen for reviewers to point out in the show’s first run, our style is very different to the Mischief shows. The joy of a ‘Goes Wrong’, for example, has been somewhat lost, whereas we want to entertain the audience with our show through the utterly impossible ‘Goes Right’ (to hilarious effect).

The show aims to appeal to a wide audience, from comedy fans to stressed parents. What do you hope different audiences will take away from the show?

Jack: We wanted to make a show that was just as fun to watch for a 9-year-old as it was for a 99-year-old. That means we have all sorts of jokes in there, from slapstick, impossibly fast multi-rolling and big visual gags to puns, wordplay and groan-worthy dad jokes.

Matt: Whether you’re a die-hard Bond fan who loves all the jokes, or you want to laugh at classic farces and slapstick, we hope this show has something for everyone, regardless of taste or age! It’s a joke-a-minute race around the world with impossible stunts, an improbable plot and unlikely characters, full of energy, laughter and SEX SEX SEX!*

Jack: *Suitable for the whole family.

What would you say to someone considering seeing Spy Movie: The Play?

Jack: If you want to watch a serious drama, choose another series.

Matt: But if you want to see something fun that you can laugh at with your friends, family or kids, come see The Greatest Spy Movie (n)Ever Made!