BRIEF ENCOUNTER Reviews

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 1:06am

Happy opening to the women and men of BRIEF ENCOUNTER!

"BRIEF ENCOUNTER is the breakout hit from London that transforms Noël Coward's classic tale of forbidden passion into a jaw-dropping fusion of whimsical humor, dreamy romance and stunning multimedia effects. Using elements of the beloved film and the play on which it was based, along with song and dance, this ingenious new work is adapted and directed by Emma Rice."

Official reviews will be posted here.

Updated On: 9/28/10 at 01:06 AM

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 1:08am

Looking forward to seeing what the critics think on this go-round. I loved the show and wish it the best of luck. I'm sure I'll drag a friend or two to see it in the next few months!

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 7:13pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100928/us-theater-review-brief-encounter/

Well it's good!!!!

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 7:52pm

Word of Mouth is a rave...shocker...but at least they justified it instead of just rambling

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 10:23pm

Theatermania
http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/09-2010/brief-encounter_30774.html

Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/brief-encounter-theater-review-1004117319.story

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 10:25pm

New York Times
http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/theater/reviews/29brief.html

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/28/10 at 11:21pm

Well deserved praise. I'm thrilled for the production, which I find myself fonder and fonder of as I look back on it.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 12:44am

I think it's downright brilliant and I wish it a healthy run. I wish it would have the same fate as 39 Steps, but I doubt it will find that much mainstream success.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 9:03am

Im thrilled for the show.

Im shocked more people were not on here since it was a review thread, either people don't care about the show on here (if so they are missing out) or Broadway World members are dropping like flys lol

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 9:11am

Bloomberg - Negative (1 star)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-29/mocking-brief-encounter-is-no-affair-to-remember-john-simon.html

New York Daily News - positive with a few grumbles, 4 stars
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2010/09/29/2010-09-29_brief_encounter_review_surprise_is_lost_in_overly_lengthy_romance.html?r=entertainment

New York Post - Positive 4 stars
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/rollicking_journey_to_doomed_love_VkWmyGSdS2VQ3qcRi721pN

NY1 - Positive
http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/theater_reviews/126240/ny1-theater-review---brief-encounter-

[wexy]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 9:55am

I thought it was great when I saw the first preview. It was so tight. The entire cast came to the Roundabout after party.
They're all such nice people and I had a feeling that this production would be a great success.
Go see it...

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 10:19am

I've been trying to decide whether or not to see this. I'll admit that I really detested that 39 STEPS thing, as it just seemed to prove that the British can be as clueless about their cultural heritage as anyone, trashing one of their greatest films for some of the cheapest and least funny laughs in the process. Basically: if you can't rise to Hitchcock's level of genius, drag him down to your own level of tastelessness and vulgarity.

The general attitude I'm reading in these reviews, especially from Brantley's, is that David Lean's film of BRIEF ENCOUNTER is some kind of terribly dated bit of fluff, one that can only be dealt with like it was some camp classic, with a sense of ironic comic detachment. Swinging from chandeliers? Oh dear.

So here's my question, those of you who've seen it: is this stage version of BRIEF ENCOUNTER another 39 STEPS-trashjob, turning every moment of real emotion (and there are plenty in that film) into stupid cheap theatricks and gimmicks?

Updated On: 9/29/10 at 10:19 AM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 10:50am

Well i liked 39 Steps, i thought it was great fun but no, it's not like that.

This stays very true to the original once act play and movie but adds a real visual element. The story is still romantic and inviting but the staging is remarkable and adds to the story rather than takes away from it.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 10:54am

Thanks for the input! I'll keep that in mind.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 11:04am

Roscoe, I didn't mean to suggest this is like 39 Steps. I hated 39 Steps as well, but I LOVE this show.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 11:10am

Ripped, I certainly understand, no problem, I had major misgivings about this show long before this thread. And your dislike of 39 STEPS vs. BRIEF ENCOUNTER is something to keep in mind.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 12:45pm

Some people have a different take, but I do not think that Brief Encounter is intended to be viewed with quotation marks around all of the action. I think it is meant to be a staging that amplifies the source material, not commenting on it. Although there are comic elements, I don't think it's meant to be a comedy any more than the original material is.

The chandelier part sounds like a bit much, but it makes sense in the context of the piece.

The 39 Steps is the opposite -- it is meant to be a comic de-construction of the film and goes for the laughs. Irony and commentary is everywhere, on purpose.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 1:04pm

From today's La Dolce Musto:

The Brits are very stiff-upper-lip and such in Broadway's retread of Brief Encounter, in which a married woman enjoys some guilty slap-and-tickle with a doctor as the wacky supporting players threaten to make the audience wet itself. I liked this way more than the similar film-to-stage deconstruction of The 39 Steps. That one's gags seemed a tad too desperate and the cast was so-so (it's overacting!), whereas this romp goes for witty jokes, clever stagecraft, and charmingly interwoven Noël Coward songs. Whether that all makes sense layered onto a tragic love story that's pretty much done straight is a whole other story.

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 2:07pm

All the great reviews for this have me really excited to see it since I missed it last season at BAM. The first new show of the season kicks things off nicely!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/29/10 at 2:46pm

TIME OUT NY is positive-mixed:


"They’re cheering—cheering!—at Studio 54, as England’s Kneehigh Theatre pulls off one clever and adorable coup de théâtre after another. Having caught Brief Encounter last year at St. Ann’s Warehouse, I’m not quite so agog when Hannah Yelland runs through a movie screen and then appears in the black-and-white film, or so ravished when she and Tristan Sturrock literally swing from chandeliers as video champagne bubbles up behind them. This highly theatrical adaptation of Noël Coward’s one-act Still Life, which he subsequently dilated for the screenplay of Brief Encounter, uses music-hall interludes, multimedia and cabaret to tell an old story in newish fashion. And audiences love it. Far be it from me to demur; the show is perfectly charming and uplifting, a night of devised-theater whimsy performed by a very likable cast. But you do have to wonder if those effusive Roundabout subscribers should perhaps get out more."


TONY's review

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 1:04am

I saw the show tonight and thought it was everything lovely. I wish they were getting more butts into those seats at Studio 54. This show should be seen so people can see the lovely storytelling through the clever stagecraft. It's one of those shows that just needs to be experienced because nothing anyone says or writes about it will fully capture what actually happens in that theatre. So what if you walk out not fully loving it, there's simply nothing else like this playing on Broadway right now and you won't regret giving it a try.

~Steven

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 1:09am

Roscoe, I'll second the "didn't like 39 Steps but loved Brief Encounter." When I was sitting in The 39 Steps, I realized that a lot of what I was seeing was funny and I was silently amused. But very few of the antics and tricks managed to make me laugh out loud or feel anything more than "I realize that's supposed to be funny, but ehhhh." I was charmed from start to finish at Brief Encounter and I'll be recommending it to everyone this fall. It's funny, it's touching, it's beautiful at times. Altogether a very entertaining night at the theater!

[speedjeans]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 6:32pm

Tony,

I remember a piece of incidental music from the staging at St. Anne'e for "Brief Encounter, suing by a tenor, I think, called "Johnny Go Slowly". I haven't been able to track it down anywhere. Do you recall the song or know anything about it.

Regards,

John

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 10:27pm

"Go Slow, Johnny" is from Noel Coward's SAIL AWAY, and the song is on the original cast album (unfortunately, out of print).

[once a month]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 10:42pm

I can't wait to see this production! Unfortunately, it's the week before closing. It'll take real will power not to jump the gun, go into the city and see this marvelous production.