Brief Encounter

Theatrical magic mixed with sentimentality is what makes Brief Encounter, currently playing at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54, such an emotional, clever and for sentimentalists like me, breathtaking piece of theatre. The production, Based on a 1945 film penned by Noel Coward and beautifully re-imagined for the stage by Emma Rice, makes use of music, projected images and live performance to tell the story of a forbidden love affair between an unhappily married housewife and the handsome doctor that falls in love with her. I originally saw this show a few years ago on a visit to London and was blown away by the inventiveness, quirkiness and shear theatricality of the storytelling. Being based on a 1945 film about adultery the show could feel dated, overly sentimental and lacking relevance. However, just the opposite is true of the show. Because of how cleverly the production draws the audience in you really feel transported, and the heightened emotionality somehow begins to seem real…necessary even. I would assume this would be a tough sell to Yankee audiences as the production is quintessentially British. However, I was very happy to see that they didn’t culturally “dumb” it down for the American audience. The accents were in full force, as were the English references. I truly hope Brief Encounter finds an audience and has a life here on Broadway as I feel the production is extremely well deserving for the fact that it is striving, and succeeding, to keep theatrical storytelling alive!