The Five Days More Production Team, headed by Kristina Lee, brings the musical comedy The Spy Who Came In From The Park to Edinburgh Fringe this year. Fangyan Yao (choreographer) and Chenyu Miao (musical director) direct this show, with book and lyrics by Yichuan Chen and music by Meng Lei.
“A loyal North Korean sleeper agent in Japan receives a surreal mission: escorting the regime’s headstrong heir through a capitalist theme park. Inside this “dream factory,” his ideological devotion cracks. He realises both the park and his motherland are hierarchies built on manufactured delusions. Forsaking grand narratives, the agent discovers the value of ordinary individuals. Yet, as the agent finds his heart, the child finds his hunger. Atop the fairytale castle, the heir rejects toys for something far more addictive: the intoxicating power of looking down upon the world.”
Where: Forest Theatre at Greenside @ George Street
When: 17-22 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-park
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?Â
The show tells the story of a North Korean sleeper agent stationed in 1990s Japan, who suddenly receives a bizarre assignment: to accompany the regime leader’s child on a secret, day-long excursion to a theme park. Years ago, I stumbled upon a news clip of a North Korean state gala that featured a truly surreal Disney medley—Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and even Yoshi from Super Mario were singing and dancing on a stage in Pyongyang, backed by a stiff military orchestra.
Subsequent media investigations revealed that the current North Korean leader had actually visited Tokyo Disneyland as a child, using a fake identity and a forged Brazilian passport. The media even exposed the fake passport photos and credit card records. At that exact moment, I vowed to write a show based on this concept (even if it meant risking a double whammy: a lawsuit from Disney and a hit from a North Korean assassin). This year, I finally made it happen 🙂
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?Â
What happens when Cold War espionage meets capitalist fantasy? The Spy Who Came in from the Park is a sharp, darkly satirical musical that turns a Disney-style theme park into a geopolitical battleground. Follow a North Korean sleeper agent ordered to babysit a regime’s spoiled heir amidst synthetic smiles, fireworks, and ideological collapse. Packed with biting wit, infectious tunes, and a deeply human core, it’s a story about breaking free from the illusions we are forced to believe. If you like your comedy black, your satire razor-sharp, and your theater profound, this is your wild ride at the Fringe.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?Â
We highly value this opportunity at the Fringe, though it certainly comes with immense challenges. As a musical theater company, we aren’t just battling the usual tight turnarounds for get-ins, get-outs, and quick costume changes—we also have to wrestle with sound design and mic management. Plus, as a self-funded production, finding the right cast was no walk in the park.
I still vividly remember when the whole company went to the West End to see The Producers. The moment a character onstage declared, ‘The number-one rule of producing: never put your own money in the show,’ everyone in our group shared a collectively awkward smile. The creative process hasn’t always been smooth sailing either; our team frequently worked late into the night, obsessing over a few bars of melody or lines of dialogue. Catching the night bus—those ‘N’ routes—back home became our daily routine. But honestly, I never expected a 4 AM bus in London to be that crowded.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?Â
Bluntly speaking, a show like The Spy Who Came in from the Park could only find its voice on a Western stage; as a Chinese writer, I know this material is far too sensitive for domestic theaters. Irony of ironies, I don’t even view it as ideological propaganda—after all, we take equal-opportunity swipes at both sides of the political divide! What I look forward to most in Edinburgh is witnessing how the audience reacts. I want to see if our comedy can pierce through that psychological ‘Iron Curtain’ which, despite being dismantled in reality, still seems to divide our hearts.
In this turbulent third decade of the 21st century, can humor—that great universal equalizer—forge a tiny, fleeting consensus on human value inside a dark theater? I genuinely look forward to British, Western, and global audiences connecting with this not-so-typical East Asian story. I want their feedback to help us keep this show alive in the theater. Naturally, if a benevolent (or even ruthlessly ambitious) producer sees its commercial legs and wants to fund its next stage of development, we certainly wouldn’t say no!
What’s next for the show?
At this stage, everything is open to interpretation—but as the writer, my ultimate plan is to expand this piece into a richer, full-length, two-act musical later this year. We are actively seeking any and all opportunities. Whether it’s staging this 50-minute, one-act version at other venues, or finding partners to help us develop future iterations, we welcome it with open arms. We view this Fringe run as a creative showcase, a window to catch the eyes of potential producers and wider audiences. More than anything, I am longing for an echo—to know that I am not just shouting into an empty wilderness. That is why we will pour our hearts into this, doing everything we can to bring this show to as many people as possible.