Brief Encounter
May 12, 2009
Reviewed: May 12th 2009
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
The Kneehigh Theatre production Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter enjoyed a very successful run in London before commencing a nationwide tour. Adapted for the stage by Emma Rice this play has lost none of its magic as it moves out of its intimate London venue to larger regional theatres.
From the moment you enter the auditorium the production takes hold, as the cast are all around playing instruments and singing songs from the 1930s era.
When the play starts our leads are in the front row of the theatre and move on to the stage. This is where the magic begins as our heroine Laura, torn between her lover Alec and her husband, who appears to be waiting for her on a large cinema screen behind. Suddenly, without warning Laura steps in to the screen and becomes part of the black and white movie, which features her husband.
Cowards play takes us on a journey from when the couple first meet, after Laura has a piece of dirt fly in to her eye, to the point where they have to decide if their relationship is to continue as Alec is having to move to South Africa for work. Along the way we see her fight her guilt as she returns home to find her son has had an accident. The children are portrayed by large puppets and the effect works exceedingly well.
As in the classic movie a lot of action takes place in the station buffet, where a glass of brandy still costs ten pence. But here we have a mixture of special effects; songs, comedy, great acting and Cowards play to keep things moving along. Director and Adaptor, Emma Rice, uses all mediums to tell her story and I cannot remember another theatre programme that lists underwater filming, puppetry training and projection designers, as part of the creative team.
While the majority of the cast play a variety of parts to keep the comedy and subplots going, the effects and tricks never get in the way of the love affair between Laura (Hannah Yelland) and Alec (Milo Twomey). A special mention must be made of Beverly Rudd, who not only played waitress Beryl, but a host of other characters. This young actress was a revelation, capturing the essence of each character and I only wish she had been able to take a curtain call on her own, rather than with all the cast, so she could have received the recognition she deserved.
A scene towards the end of the production has Laura standing on the station bridge as a train races past below. While this may in itself be a simple effect, its visual impact will remain with me for some time.
Those old enough to remember the film will not be disappointed by this production and the audience who are new to the story will be drawn in to the Kneehigh Production, as this adaptation is not so much an ensemble piece but a masterpiece.
John Dixon
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