Broadway Blog - Review Roundup: BRIEF ENCOUNTER

Brief Encounter is an imaginative new work that combines elements of Noël Coward's beloved screenplay, and the one act play on which it was based, with song, dance and Technicolor displays of emotion. This production from London's Kneehigh Theatre played a sold out run at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, NY and has also played critically acclaimed engagements at ACT and the Guthrie Theater.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post: "The brilliant production of "Brief Encoun ter" that opened on Broadway last night should make all but the sourest puss believe in romance again. It's a spirited charm offensive that's just impossible to resist." 

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: "I first saw this "Brief Encounter" in London two years ago, and then again when the production came to St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn last winter. I always remember it as a delicate, whimsical creation, and worry that it might not thrive in a new environment. Yet it consistently proves sturdier and smarter than I have allowed it to be. And the current incarnation, which arrives courtesy of the Roundabout Theater Company, feels to me richer than ever. It has also been altered, ever so slightly, with the aim of seducing a Broadway audience, which likes to leave a show feeling roused and exhilarated."

Joe Neumaier, NY Daily News: "But in practice, some of the captivating coziness is lost, and Laura and Alec's romance seems to get swallowed up. It feels a little off."

Erik Haagensen, Backstage: "When Kneehigh Theatre's multimedia stage adaptation of the classic Noël Coward-penned film "Brief Encounter" played St. Ann's Warehouse this past December, this Coward fan attended with great trepidation, only to fall head over heels for it. I felt similar trepidation when I heard that Roundabout Theatre Company would bring the show to Broadway at Studio 54. St. Ann's is a decidedly intimate space. Would the show fill a much larger house? Happily, the answer is ringingly affirmative."

Linda Winer, Newsday: Last winter, fortunate theatergoers fell madly, hopelessly in love with "Brief Encounter," the enchanting British spin on the Noel Coward movie that had a limited sold-out run at the adventurous little St. Ann's Warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge. As it turns out, our brief affair was not hopeless after all. The Roundabout Theatre Company has swept up the ingenious import and put it on Broadway..."

Steve Suskin, Variety: "We've seen any number of stage attractions derived from motion pictures, and some of these have incorporated actual footage -- either vintage or shot-to-order -- into the proceedings. But Broadway doesn't seem ever to have seen live actors interact with, and actually step directly into, the movie.Kneehigh Theater's production of Noel Coward's "Brief Encounter" might lose some of its impact in its relatively large Main Stem house, especially on the extreme sides and in the mezz; previous runs in London and Brooklyn played venues that were well under 500 seats. Even so, the play should get a warm reception here."