The Lowry, Salford Quays – until Saturday 24th February 2018. Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
Brief Encounter based on Noel Cowards 1936 play Still Life, remembered fondly by many as the black and white film directed by David Lean, released in the aftermath of War in 1945. It’s often hailed as one of cinemas greatest love stories. Set in England on the eve of World War 2. No one can fail to be moved with emotion at the thought of a doomed love affair and the sadness of families ripped apart not only by a stiff upper lip attitude but by the impending heartache of war. It’s an English love affair without the froth of Hollywood, there’s no happy ending here, it was an excuse to weep those tears freely. Tears for lives that might have been.
How could this theatre production live up to that? Amazingly well, it’s given a modern twist by Emma Rice who adapted and directed Brief Encounter with Kneehigh Theatre. She celebrates those famed longed for Thursday encounters between Laura and Alec (Isabel Pollen & Jim Sturgeon) whose love you sense washing over them like the waves on the screen behind them, you want them to be winners, to run away and just be happy. Alas life is far from rosy. Alec is everything Fred (Laura’s husband) isn’t. Fred dependable, unemotional, tall, dark, just Fred, home with the children, allowing Laura her 1 single day a week. Yet is the grass greener on the other side of the train track? As with the film you never do quite know and part of the joy of Brief Encounter is your interpretation of the situation unfolding. Do they or don’t they? Did they or didn’t they? You are constantly catching your breath in those moments of wonder.
The modern twist comes in the form of those other character interactions, the budding relationships. Most take place within the station café. You see the fun filled youth without a care of the bleak future facing them. Beryl (Beverly Rudd) has to be everyone’s favourite character whizzing around on her scooter, nipping out for a bag of chips on her way home. Her wonderfully naive nature you want to cradle and long for it to survive those darkest hours that lie just around the corner. Musical numbers backed up by the jazz band on stage bring an uplifting element to a serious love affair and help us to feel the emotion building. I’ve mentioned the screen this is used to bring those black and white images to life, paying homage to the 1945 film. Characters climbing in and out of the screen. Making the film seam ever more realistic. Moving trains, characters running and climbing aboard. It’s slow moving at times, almost making you shout ‘for god sake man, get a move on and just kiss her’ then fast moving, you want to rewind and stop time.
There’s plenty of humour which I must say surprised me, I expected melodrama. I issued a mascara warning, took tissues. For it is not a spoiler to say we all know the ending here. Alec is the most chivalrous of English knights and falls on his sword by leaving for South Africa, before families are destroyed. The humour helps in those moments of tissue dabbing. During those moments of wave crashing you witness Laura under water, you actually wonder is she lost? Drowning under the weight of expectation as a Wife and Mother, or is she learning to swim for her freedom against expectation?
Brief Encounter is simply magnificent, it’s a brave thing to take a small cast and re-imagine one of the greatest love stories. Yet Emma Rice has done an incredible job, bringing human love, suffering and angst to a younger audience in a way they and us golden generation can truly appreciate and long to watch again. The cast more than deserved their standing ovation, they were superb.
Brief Encounter is heading for a run on The West End after Saturday sees it’s run at The Lowry finish. It’s well worth watching whether your with your friends or your partner.