Brief Encounter – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Writer: Noel Coward

Adaptor: Emma Rice

Director: Sarah Frankcom

Few of the film releases of 1945 carry as much cultural resonance as Noel Coward’s adaptation of his own one act play, Still Life. Released in cinemas months after the end of the Second World War, David Lean’s Brief Encounter remains an object of devotion, of parody, and of genuine affection for generations born long since. Carnforth Station, in Lancashire, where much of the film was shot, serves as a shrine to many. The mores of 2023 seem so at odds with the class-constrained society of the immediate post-war era, that its relevance, other than for those with nostalgic tastes, draws obvious question.

Brief Encounter follows Romeo and Juliet onto the stage of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, having enjoyed great success 12 month’s previously at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy gives way to the tragic romance of a frustrated housewife, and an idealistic doctor, who cannot overcome their sense of decency to bring their relationship to consummation. Their moral restraint and clipped diction stand in contrast to the earthier behaviour and language of the Milthorp Junction station staff who provide the backdrop and audience for the developing passion between Alec and Laura.

The two would-be middle-class lovers are at the heart of this play, but their story line is a thin one. An accidental meeting turns into increasingly less accidental encounters, some deliberate engagements, and even a pre-arranged attempt at intimacy. Many of these moments are frustrated by intrusive friends, unforeseen emergencies and hurried train departures. These obstacles in the path of true love, together with Alec and Laura’s social conformity, combine to ensure the relationship never reaches its fulfilment. The station staff have no such constraints. Ticket Collector Albert (Richard Glaves) has his eyes, and often his hands, on the delectable Myrtle, who oversees the refreshment room. Station Porter Stanley (Georgia Frost) has his sights set on young waitress Beryl (Ida Regan), who is won over by his cheeky charm. The professional classes may have high-flown romantic ideals, but the lower orders are having more fun.

This production makes full use of Noel Coward’s strength as a witty lyricist and accomplished composer of catchy show tunes. Eleven of his songs from West End revues and other shows punctuate the drama, performed with verve and intensity by the cast. These are accompanied by a four-piece jazz band stationed beside the buffet counter, and ably drilled by Musical Director Matthew Malone. While most cast members have solo songs fitted to their characters and the narrative, there are also ensemble numbers which bring everyone to the table. While some of the songs have a comedic, even a music hall frothiness, some are poignant and yearning, such as Ida Regan’s soulful rendition of Mad About The Boy, and Christina Modestou’s powerful lament in No Good At Love.

The set is simple, but Designer Rose Revitt has paid tribute to the signature design features of Victorian railway architecture with striking use of cast iron arches and a dominant station clock. The set also very flexibly transforms into a posh restaurant, a boating lake, a blossom-filled bower, and a period sitting room. The floor, incorporating a revolve, mirrors a train turntable. Sound and light also contribute to create the atmosphere of a small town station in the age of steam locomotives. Costumes follow suit, most obviously for the station staff, but Richard Glaves’ Bill was brilliantly suburban in a mustard cardigan, and Hannah Azuonye was primly elegant as Laura. The presence of the live musicians, who were fully integrated into the production, created some wonderful opportunities for incidental sounds, such as the gulls reminding Laura, at key moments, of her Cornish childhood and a less repressed existence.

One unexpected addition, although not an unwelcome one, was the dancing. At one point, Alec and Laura lead the ensemble in a waltz, which turns into a tango, and then a swing performance, which lent an exuberance to the whole production, somewhat at odds with the doomed affair of the main protagonists. Theatre can somehow manage to be uplifting, even while agonising about failed romance and forbidden fruit.

The basic structure of 1945’s Brief Encounter remains at the kernel of this production. But this is so much more than a homage to a vintage cinema release, or even a nostalgia-laden tribute to Noel Coward’s skills as a writer and composer. This is an exuberant celebration of heroic failure and frustrated desire, delivered with class (not always upper-middle) and panache.

Runs at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, until 13 January 2024.