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Brief Encounter

Studio 54, New York, 10 September - 5 December 2010

Brief Encounter

cast list
Joseph Alessi, Dorothy Atkinson, Damon Daunno, Gabriel Ebert, Edward Jay, Annette McLaughlin, Adam Pleeth, Tristan Sturrock, Hannah Yelland

directed by
Emma Rice

Noël Coward receives a stylish quasi-update in Kneehigh Theatre's theatrical adaptation of the classic film Brief Encounter, produced on Broadway at Studio 54 under the auspices of Roundabout Theatre Company. This production was the third incarnation of the piece, which is directed by Emma Rice, that I'd seen, after the West End production and its New York visit to St. Ann's Warehouse earlier this year, and the piece continues to impress despite the cavernous size of Studio 54 (which seems, at times, to swallow up the magic on-stage).

The piece is actually an amalgam of sorts, combining the screenplay of the 1946 film Brief Encounter with elements the Coward short play Still Life and songs by Coward (some of them featuring arrangements and/or music by Stu Barker) alongside thrilling theatrical conceits from the brilliant directorial mind of Emma Rice.

From the first scene of the evening, we know something special is in store. Set to lush, romantic music is the parting of beautiful married housewife Laura (Hannah Yelland) and handsome (and also married) doctor Alec (Tristan Sturrock), two ill-fated lovers whose paths are destined to veer apart as Laura steps symbolically into the black-and-white movie of her life (to give away too much about the visual embodiment of this moment is to spoil the fun).

The romance between Laura and Alec, which is foreshadowed in this opening sequence and formally introduced thereafter, is played out against several other subplots, most of them involving the quirky employees inhabiting the train station where our lovers first meet, including quirky Beryl (the fabulous Dorothy Atkinson) and her pursuer Stanley (Gabriel Ebert), as well as secret seductress Myrtle (Annette McLaughlin) and doting Albert (Joseph Alessi).

Filmic elements are seamlessly, humorously intertwined with the more naturalistic story at hand. Occasionally, these moments of visual flair take the form of simply-produced sight gags. Other times, projections enable more fantastical flights of visual fancy. Throughout, Rice keeps an audience guessing as to how the mundane story at hand will play out - and that's no small feat, particularly for a play that spoils its ending in its opening moments.

Particular credit must be given to Stu Barker, who's composed beautifully time-straddling original music to accompany some of Noël Coward's lyrics (as with No Good At Love) and provided arrangements for others of the songs that Coward fully composed (Any Little Fish, the haunting Go Slow, Johnny). His arrangements sound simultaneously authentic and modern, allowing Noël Coward's words to speak for themselves.

Also impressive is the projection design by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington; without excess, this pair of designers use simple visual cues to enhance Emma Rice's already brilliantly directed play.

Thankfully, the performers on hand meet the overall standards of the production. Though the entire cast is worthy of plaudits, particular mention must go to our leading couple, Tristan Sturrock and Hannah Yelland, who adroitly straddle the delicate line between melodrama and sincerity (a line that the production as a whole also straddles).

The immense pleasure of experiencing Brief Encounter is one that's difficult to qualify exactly. Somewhere between the music and the flickering light and the faces on-stage is a particular blend of theatrical magic that Emma Rice and Kneehigh Theatre have orchestrated to perfection. For fans of Coward and for those in search of a well-produced, inventively staged romance, this show should do the trick.

- Richard Patterson