Game of Thrones and The Crown favourites set to star in new spy drama when Edinburgh's King's reopens

A​ ​gripping new spy drama​ charting a meeting between novelist Graham Greene and his old MI6 boss, the British traitor Kim Philby, is set to be one of the first productions to come to the stage of The King's when restrictions relax and live theatre begins to reawaken.

Oliver Ford Davies as Graham Green and Stephen Boxer as Kim Philby

Starring Oliver Ford Davies,​ ​widely known for his roles as Sio Bibble in Star Wars and Maester​ ​Cressen in Game of Thrones​,​​ as Greene, and ​​Stephen Boxer​,​​ whose TV credits include Denis Thatcher in The Crown and Dr Joe Fenton in Doctors, as Philby, A Splinter of Ice by Ben Brown is set in ​Moscow​ in​ 1987​.

As ​the cold war begins to thaw​ and a​fter ​more than 30 years of ​declining his offer​s​, Greene travels to the heart of the Soviet Union to meet his old MI6 bos​s​. Under the watchful eye of Russian memoirist and Philby’s last wife, Rufa, the two men set about catching up on old times. With a new world order breaking out around them, how much did the writer of The Third Man know about Philby’s secret life as a spy and did Philby betray his friend as well as his country?

E​xploring an unlikely friendship interwoven with deceit and loyalty, ​A​ Splinter of Ice will be directed by Alan Strachan with Alastair Whatley and will tour to the Leven Street theatre for a week in July, opening on Tuesday 13 and running until Saturday 17.

Oliver Ford Davies as Graham Green and Stephen Boxer as Kim Philby

Brown says, "I'm thrilled to be working again with Alan Strachan and Oliver Ford Davies and to be joining forces with Stephen Boxer and Alastair Whatley for the premiere, at last, of my new play." ​

Alastair Whatley, Artistic Director of Original Theatre Company, ​adds​, “I am thrilled that we are producing Ben’s fantastic new play with such a wonderful cast and creative team. The plan was to open this in front of audiences at the end of March, but alas, once again, plans have changed. Instead of cancelling, we will now film the production, releasing the play to our audiences around the world, before then returning to stages across the UK as soon as theatres re-open.”

T​ickets for the Edinburgh run of the play are set go on sale on April 13, from www.capitaltheatres.com

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