Sydney is blessed again with another visit from Cornwall’s Kneehigh Theatre Company. Along with their wonderful productions, TRISTAN AND YSEULT (2006) and RED SHOES (2011), their adaptation of Noel Coward’s classic BRIEF ENCOUNTER provides astute Sydney theatregoers with another magical night in the theatre.

Coward’s BRIEF ENCOUNTER is a classic romantic tale. A chance encounter in a café at an isolated railway station- Laura has some dust in her eye and Dr Alec is on hand to offer assistance, sees these two people form a friendship and then fall deeply in love. There is just a little complication, they are both married and have families.

As expected, Kneehigh’s retelling of this tale is anything but dry. Emma Rice’s production of this heart tugging play is full of colour, energy and playfulness.

There are onstage live musicians, (the production includes many classic Coward songs), lots of physical, vaudevillian theatre, and the interplay between theatre and cinema, with the use of film backdrops with footage from David Lean’s original movie, is beautifully carried out.

Aussie girl Michelle Nightingale and Scot Jim Sturgeon head a six strong cast who also provide musical accompaniment along with musicians, Dave Brown and James Gow.

Highly recommended, BRIEF ENCOUNTER is only playing a brief season at the Concourse, Chatswood, with the show finishing up on Sunday November 10, and then moving on to seasons in Wollongong and Perth.

Bookings at the Concourse Box Office, the website,- theconcourse.com.au or 1300795012.