Following a successful run of Romeo & Juliet, with Brief Encounter and its star-crossed lovers, the Royal Exchange Theatre heads towards the new year with laughter, romance and lots of good tunes.
“It is true for you, isn’t it? This overwhelming feeling we have for each other? It is true for you as it is for me, isn’t it?”
This latest adaptation of Noël Coward‘s classic, directed by the theatre’s previous Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom, is heart-warming, heart-breaking and will have you humming along to the songs all the way home.
The tale begins at Milford Junction train station on one seemingly ordinary day which will change Laura and Alec’s lives forever. Meeting by mere chance, the two characters, both married with children, are immediately drawn to each other. Following this initial encounter, they keep bumping into each other, reaching a point in which they can no longer hide their attraction; they embark on a love story which quickly spirals out of control and inevitably ends with heartbreak.
In this version, adapter Emma Rice remains very faithful to the source material, merging the beloved 1945 film version, with the short play that inspired it, Still Life, which Coward presented in 1936 as part of Tonight at 8:30.
The iconic lines from the film and the romantic storytelling are accompanied by fantastic jazz arrangements by Matthew Malone (Musical Supervisor/Orchestrator/MD) and musical numbers from Coward’s songbook itself: you won’t be able to get these out of your head. Yet while lighthearted and tender, the adaptation does not take many risks: it does what it says on the tin and does not make any attempt at changing or modernising the source material, the effect of which is a slightly dated rendition.
The set design by Rose Revitt instead is a standout. The wooden floor and furniture pull you into the dreamy, old-worldly train station atmosphere, with the jazz band and big clock looming over the characters and reminding them they have a train to catch. The temporal aspect of the narrative is also mirrored by the rotating stage which masterfully encapsulates the fleeting, disorienting and fast-paced nature of Alec and Laura’s love affair.
The performances were joyful and energetic, featuring Hannah Azuonye as Laura and Baker Mukasa as Alec, with a few clear standout moments and crowd favourites. While the film version devotes the near entirety of the story to the one love affair, in Rice’s adaptation the side characters who work at the train station are given much more time and attention and, for me, stole the show.
The characters of Myrtle Bagot (Christina Modestou) and Beryl Waters (Ida Regan) work at the station refreshment room and, during the play, live out their own love stories, with ticket collector Albert (Richard Glaves) and Stanley (Georgia Frost) respectively. These relationships and their group dynamics are humorous and nuanced, to the point that I found myself caring more for their happiness than for that of the main characters, whose love story felt a little more dated and initially harder to engage with.
Because of the multiplicity of characters present, we spend little time with the lovers in act one and therefore we don’t get a full sense of their personalities, inner conflicts or chemistry. Only in act two, these narrative aspects are fully developed, with a beautifully crafted, romantic sequence of the two lovers rowing amongst the cherry blossoms and longingly staring into each other’s eyes, only to profess their love for one another eventually.
“I love you – I love you – and you love me too – it’s no use pretending that it hasn’t happened, because it has.”
The highlights are without a doubt Regan’s rendition of ‘Mad About The Boy’ and Modestou’s ‘No Good At Love’, in which both performers showcase their extraordinary musical ability and expose their character’s inner selves with subtlety and grace. The roaring applause that followed is a testament to their craft and talent.
Emma Rice’s adaptation of Brief Encounter is altogether humorous, moving and charming, albeit very traditional in its approach. While it does not quite manage to modernise its narrative and thematic scope, with some stellar performances, dreamy jazz and great dance sequences, it’s a story that will warm your heart and keep you from the winter cold!
Brief Encounter is playing at the Royal Exchange Theatre until January 13, 2023. Tickets are still available.
