SFist Reviews: Brief Encounter at A.C.T.
Noël Coward may have died thirty-six years ago, but his work remains as adaptable and relevant as ever, as proven in the second Bay Area production of a Coward play this year -- after CalShakes' Private Lives this summer. This show is Brief Encounter at the A.C.T., which is actually the name of the 1945 movie made from Coward's 1939 play Still Life, which he considered to be one of his best. The production comes direct from London and originated with the Kneehigh Theatre Company in Cornwall, who got their start in 1980 doing experimental children's theater and hence the name "kneehigh." It's directed and brilliantly adapted by Emma Rice, who brings to the show an incredible freshness of vision, complete with a number of experimental touches and a host of Noël Coward-penned songs which serve as interludes between scenes and which were never part of the original play or film.
The result is joyous and poignant and wholly original, and frankly one of the best pieces of theater we've ever seen. Still Life was the simple story of two middle class people who meet each other in a train station refreshment room, feel an immediate connection, and go about having a tortured and very British affair for several months. The movie rearranged some scenes and attempted to complicate the drama by complicating the time sequence, a la Citizen Kane.
In this production, Ms. Rice has done some of her own rearranging, and used a special effect involving the film screen which we won't spoil for you by describing. But it essentially melds the three worlds of stage, screen and the real space of the audience. And what happens is that the tragedy of an ill-timed love, and the counterpoint relationships of two other couples -- one older, one younger -- take on an air of magic that everyone in the room can participate in. The musical interludes, rather than distracting from the drama, add texture, humor, and a sense of mythology to the piece, allowing the supporting characters to become like a Greek chorus, strumming their ukuleles and singing pop songs from the 30's and 40's like "No Good at Love" and "Mad About the Boy." (The entire cast even pops down to the bar during intermission to perform a number.)
No one in the cast feels inessential, and all of the actors are fantastic. In particular, Hannah Yelland is terrific as Laura, giving an Old Hollywood voice and great depth to the character of a woman torn between love and responsibility. Stuart McLoughlin and Beverly Rudd (pictured left) are both hilarious and wickedly talented as the younger couple Stanley and Beryl, and Ms. Rudd has many of the funniest moments in the show including a brief stint as a different character in the final scene. And Annette McLaughlin brings great wit and timing to the role of refreshment marm Myrtle.
Believe us when we say that you must see this show. Stuff this good doesn't show up in town but once every couple of years, and it's definitely Broadway-bound after it finishes its run at A.C.T. on October 11. Buy tickets here.
PREVIOUSLY: A trailer for the A.C.T. production of Brief Encounter