BRIEF ENCOUNTER - First Preview 9/10

I'm seeing the fourth preview on Sunday afternoon and am most excited.

I was extremely disappointed that I missed this production during its first run. I'm not seeing it until the end of November, but I have a good seat. Until then, there's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Mrs Warrens Profession, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the Leonard Bernstein Tribute at Lincoln Ctr and another Cirque-Dralion in Jersey. It's looking to be an entertaining autumn!

Unfortunately I missed this in London, but had great write ups and word of mouth on here was excellent. Ben Brantley and Elizabeth Vincentilli both swooned at this in Brooklyn.

I know there will be different opinions on this, and I actually completely understand what the criticism will be for this show, but I want to put it out there that I love this show. I saw it once in London (which, in an old movie palace was the absolute best location for this show), twice at Brooklyn and now once again tonight I was charmed by this fantastic piece of theater.
Rather than do a straight play version of the film, Emma Rice went back to the one act stage version of “Brief Encounter”, Still Life for inspiration. What’s more, she fleshes out charcters who are only minor in the film to the point where they basically steal the show. Beryl and her boss, played by the brilliant Dorothy Atkinson and Annette Mclaughin respectively, are absolute highlights for me and almost would warrant their own play. The other star of this play is the fantastic musicians and the music. Taking some of Noel Cowards own songs, and using his poems this play is very near a musical.

There are lots of old stage tricks but I think all the smoke and mirrors work to make a story that would today seem outdated and frankly probably dull seem relevant and more importantly very entertaining. The film has none of this, but then again being from 1945 works on its own level.

I understand the issue the most will bring up with this play: that all of the side characters, music, and bells and whistles make the central story seem uninteresting, and at most pointless. For me, they make it all the more seem relevant in what becomes an interesting meditation on love and a damn entertaining one. This is a funny, beautiful, and darn entertaining night of theater. Ps. Stay after in the orchestra for a nice mini concert by the cast, and maybe even some cucumber sandwiches!

**Disclaimer: I want to make a note on the venue of this play—it is all wrong. This worked fantastic last year at St. Ann’s and even better in London at the Haymarket, but at Studio 54, it really swallows the show. The acoustics make many lines hard to hear from the balcony, and the intimacy that this show desperately needs is lost. Roundabout really made a mistake by putting this show in this theater, but even that said, I still loved the show, but I don’t know if new audience members will feel the same way.

Updated On: 9/10/10 at 10:59 PM

So excited to see this again!

Is it worse - venue wise - than the Carry Fisher show?

I'm heading to the city today and will try to get a matinee ticket. From the comments I've already heard, sounds like Roundabout has once again screwed up by putting it in Studio 54, a theatre which I abhor. But I'm praying that the show will defy the Roundabout's standard stupidity and that the piece itself will shine through.

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I'm seeing this on Wednesday. I know the movie very well, and love it, but I also know Coward's original one-act version was quite different and much darker. So I will do my best to keep an open mind. I much prefer live theater to movies for immediacy of impact, anyway.

Would you say it's similar to both "The 39 Steps" and "The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged"?

I saw the show last night. I definitely liked it. It feels long for a 90 minute show and it lags in the pacing at certain points but it's, overall, a pretty ingenious production. There are a bunch of absolutely gorgeous moments and it's undeniably charming. The audience loved it...huge applause breaks after some particularly funny moments and roaring applause the second the show ended. The performances are lovely, particularly Annette McLaughlin who provides strong comedic support and Hannah Yelland who injects the lead female character with a bunch of gusto and a strong, old-school stage presence. I hope the direction is remembered come Tony time, but it's doubtful. The strong moments definitely outweigh the ones that drag. There are some really brilliant sequences here and the final product is definitely one worth seeing.

*** out of ****

I saw this today and I just didn't get it. I've never seen the film and knew nothing of the story beforehand. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been familiar with the film, but knowing the source material shouldn't be a requirement to enjoy a show. I just didn't care at all about the main love story, I'm so not a fan of that kind of melodrama, and for the first hour or so I couldn't even see what the point of it was. The actors are all very talented and I liked the staging for the most part, I just couldn't get into the story until it was more than half over.

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I saw the show this afternoon and simply adored it!!! Another import Roundabout only wishes it could take credit for.

Even without seeing the show at St. Anne's Warehouse, I could tell this venue was all wrong.

That being said, it was pleasant. I have no desire to see it again, but I wouldn't stop someone else from going. Loved the band, the music, some of the staging, and Dorothy Atkinson, Damon Daunno, and Annette McLaughlin. I guess my biggest quibble was the leads. I think it was more the writing than the actors, but I just didn't like them. If they're the ones I'm supposed to root for...it makes for a long 90 minues.

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