Brief Encounter - New Wolsey Theatre

Brief Encounter

Performed from Wed 26 Apr — Sat 13 May


'Brief Encounter,' credit: Warehouse Digital

'The Cinema Song' by Tom Self, filming by Warehouse Digital

A man and woman are close together in a train tunnel. She is wearing a dress and he wears a suit. Her arms are around his shoulders and his arms are around her back. Their faces are close together and it looks like they are about to kiss. Behind them is a glowing light from the end of the tunnel, and smoke/steam surrounds them. A clock hanging from the inside of the tunnel shows the time as twenty to six. In the foreground is text, in a peppermint green colour mixed with white, that reads ‘Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter – adapted for the stage by Emma Rice’. In the bottom left, text reads ‘A dazzling show with music’.

Noël Coward’s 'Brief Encounter'
Adapted for the stage by Emma Rice

A dazzling musical adaptation of the greatest love story of all time.

When a chance encounter in a train station refreshment room kindles a timid, yet passionate, love affair between a married doctor and a suburban housewife, the two are forced to question if it’s worth risking everything for the sake of love.

Tender and joyous, this show has all the drama of the original masterpiece with added live music, comedy and spectacle, taking you on a rollercoaster ride through all of love’s beautiful complications.

'Brief Encounter' is adapted by award-winning theatre-maker Emma Rice, directed by the New Wolsey Theatre’s new Chief Executive Douglas Rintoul ('Made in Dagenham,' 'Private Lives' and 'All My Sons') and brought to you by the producers behind 'The Ladykillers' and 'The Worst Wedding Ever.'


A New Wolsey Theatre and Wiltshire Creative Production, in association with Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.


'Brief Encounter' has an age guidance of 12+ and contains smoking, loud noises, moments of audience interaction and moderate sex references.

Please note: Throughout the show, several of the cast will play more than one role. There will also be loud sound effects throughout, including waves crashing, train noises, bells ringing, wind blowing, thunder and music.

You can view and download the full Content Warning for the show from the link below (please note that it contains spoilers).


Cast & Creatives

Nicola Bryan — Myrtle Bagot

Nicola Bryan's headshot

Nicola trained at the Birmingham School of Speech & Drama, gaining a BA (Hons) degree in Acting and Musical Theatre.

Credits include: Olive Osmond in The Osmonds (UK Tour); Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Rosie in Mamma Mia – Movies In The Park (Abu Dhabi); Mavis in Noël Coward’s Me & The Girls (Regional Tour); Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (Arts Depot, London); Carmen in Sweet Charity (Watermill Theatre); Eileen in Our Blue Heaven (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Mum in Who To Follow (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Swing & u/s Sister Mary Patrick & Mother Superior in Sister Act (UK Tour); Freda Woodward/Val in Tom The Musical (UK Tour); Carmen in Sweet Charity (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Kit Kat Girl in Cabaret (MAC, Belfast); Heather in Our House (UK Tour); Dreamboats & Petticoats (Playhouse, West End); Rita & u/s Rosa & Mary in David Essex's All The Fun Of The Fair (UK Tour 2008/2009); Lambchops & u/s Serena, Mabel and Miss Bell in Fame (Edinburgh Playhouse and UK Tour); Lambchops in Fame (Pattichoun Amphitheatre, Cyprus); Beauty in Beauty & The Beast (Coventry Belgrade); Venetian Masquerade (Millennium Point, Birmingham); Swing & u/s Pam in The Full Monty (UK Tour); Jack & The Beanstalk (Potters Bar, London); Sleeping Beauty (Stevenage & Chatham); Dick Whittington (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Return To The Forbidden Planet (Theatre Royal, Lincoln); Jack & The Beanstalk, Beauty & The Beast (New Wolsey, Ipswich); West End Girls (Jersey Opera House); KOBA – Man of Steel originating the role of Nadezdha (Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham).

For more information about Nicola, please visit:

www.accessuk.agency

www.nicolabryan.com

@TheNicolaBryan

Hanora Kamen — Laura Jesson

Hanora Kamen's headshot

Credits include: A Gig for Ghosts (Soho Theatre with 45 North); The Ballad of Maria Marten (Wiltons Music Hall, UK Tour); Mog: The Forgetful Cat (The Royal & Derngate with The Old Vic); Five Children and It (The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath); Winners (The Wardrobe Ensemble); Riot (Bristol Old Vic); 1972: The Future of Sex (Bristol Old Vic), Education, Education, Education (Trafalgar Studios); The Wind in the Willows (The Core at Corby Cube); Eloise and the Curse of the Golden Whisk (The Wardrobe Theatre, UK Tour); Edgar and the Land of the Lost (The Bike Shed Theatre); Pippi Longstocking (Royal & Derngate); Rebellion Playground (The Exeter Phoenix); The Snow Beast (UK Tour); Great Train Robbery (UK Tour); Nel (UK Tour); A Fool’s Proof (Scratchworks Theatre Company, UK Tour); Chloe and the Colour Catcher (Theatre Ad Infinitum with Bristol Old Vic); C Word Clubhouse (Bristol Old Vic); Blok/eko (Exeter Northcott).

TV: The Undeclared War (Channel 4); Breadline (BBC Four); Mimi’s World (Channel 5).

Radio: The Flock (A Ton of Feathers).

Jammy Kasongo — Dr Alec Harvey

Jammy Kasongo headshot

Jammy Kasongo’s previous credits include: Tina (The Aldwych Theatre); Cassette (Parkhouse Pictures); Tina (The Aldwych Theatre); Hair (Waterloo Vaults); Beautiful The Carole King Musical (The Aldwych Theatre); The Truth About Anna (BBC Radio 4); The Grand Hotel (Southwark Playhouse); Superior Donuts (Capitol Stage Sacramento CA).

Samuel Morgan-Grahame — Albert Godby

Samuel Morgan-Grahame's Headshot

Training: The MTA, Arts Educational Schools London and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Credits include: Most recently, 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Joseph in Amelie (West End/UK No. 1 Tour/Watermill Theatre); Herman in Sweet Charity (Watermill Theatre); Joey in Sister Act (UK No. 1 Tour); Lucius in Titus Andronicus, Bianco in The Taming of the Shrew (New Wimbledon); Grim (Charing Cross Theatre); Eldest Magician in Just So (Bridewell Theatre); Cool Rider Live (Lyric Theatre); Island Song (St James Theatre).

As Musical Director/Composer: Anna Karenina (Brockley Jack); Jericho Creek (Cockpit Theatre); Saucy Jacks and the Space Vixens (Kings Head); The Winter’s Tale (Lion and Unicorn); Taming of the Shrew (New Wimbledon).

Tom Self — Fred Jesson/Stephen Lynn

Tom Self's headshot

Training: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance (Leverhulme Musical Theatre Trust Scholar).

Theatre credits include: Bert in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (Queen’s Theatre; Hornchurch); Bearsted in Ordinary People (Parkwood Theatres);  Sir Dinadan/Show Musical Director in Camelot (Watermill); Barefoot in the Park (Pitlochry Festival Theatre); Robin Hood (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch), Musical Director/Ronnie in Noël Coward’s: Me and The Girls (UK Tour); Union Chairman/Onstage Musical Director in The Hired Man (Hull Truck, Oldham Coliseum & Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, 2019 Offie Award Nomination); Sweet Charity (Watermill); Associate Musical Director for Murder for Two (Watermill/UK Tour/The Other Palace); Farrah Fawcett In/Onstage Musical Director in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, 2018 Offie Award Finalist); The Tramp/Onstage Musical Director in Salad Days (Theatre Royal Bath/Union Theatre); Musical Director of Aladdin, Peter PanBeauty & The Beast (Malvern Theatres, UK Productions); Musical Supervisor/Musical Director of Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jack & The Beanstalk, Peter Pan (Parkwood Theatres).

Tom recently wrote original music and lyrics for Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty (Offie Finalist, Best Pantomime) at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

@tomandhistaps.

Lucy Elizabeth Thorburn — Beryl

Lucy Elizabeth Thorburn's headshot

Lucy trained at the London College of Music.

Previous credits include: Jack and the Beanstalk (The Newbury Corn Exchange); Kinky Boots (The New Wolsey and Queen’s Theatre); SMOOSH! (Paraorchestra); Jekyll and Hyde (The National Theatre).

Luke Thornton — Stanley

Luke Thornton's headshot.

Luke trained as an Actor Musician at Rose Bruford College. His many varied instrument skills include: drums, bass, guitar and harmonica.

He is delighted to be returning to the New Wolsey Theatre and joining the cast of Dick Whittington.

Stage credits include: Romeo in Romeo & Juliet (440 Theatre UK Tour), Stanley in Brief Encounter (New Wolsey Theatre & UK Tour), Bobo the Clown in Goldilocks (New Wolsey Theatre), Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scoot Theatre UK Tour), Nigel in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole the Musical (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Steven/Tony Sharpe in Love Letters (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), One-Eye in Weapons of the Weak (The Other Palace), Cheever in The Crucible (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Ensemble in Midnight (Union Theatre, Southwark), Edwin in Summer Holiday (Octagon Theatre Bolton and Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Various roles in Beauty and the Beast, The Panto That Nearly Never Was, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin (Theatr Clwyd), Solo Singer in Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra - A Night at the Musicals (Congress Theatre), Onstage Swing/1st cover Willard in Footloose (UK Tour), Douggie in Dusty (Charing Cross Theatre)

Luke also sings as part of the Four Harmonies (Jersey Boys Tribute) and has sang as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.

Chioma Uma — Dolly Messiter

Chioma Uma's headshot

 Chioma’s credits include: Cinderella The Rockin’ Panto! (New Wolsey Theatre/ArtsDepot); Kiss Me Kate, Camelot, Othello (The Watermill Theatre); BBC Doctor Who: Time Fracture (Hartshorn Hook Productions); Dirty Dancing (Secret Cinema); Robin Hood, The Panto That Nearly Never Was (Theatr Clwyd).

Jessie Addinall — Lighting Designer

Jessie is a Hull-based lighting designer. Alongside this, they are also associate lighting designer for The Roaring Girls and was an ALPD Lumiere (2020).

Their credits include: Children of the Night (CAST); Ladies Day (The New Vic & The Octagon Theatre); Jack, Mum and The Beanstalk (Hull Truck Theatre); Macbeth, Twelfth Night (Leeds Conservatoire); Ladies Unleashed (Hull Truck Theatre); The Whispering Jungle (Concrete Youth); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hull Truck Theatre); Teechers Leavers 22’ (Hull Truck Theatre); The Hound of The Baskervilles (ERT Theatre); we used to be closer than this (Middle Child); Hull and High Water (Hull Truck); Everything I Own (Hull Truck); Prince Charming’s Christmas Cracker (Hull Truck); Ducklings (The Herd); Beauty Queen of Leenane (Hull Truck Theatre); The Canary and The Crow (Middle Child); Beach Body Ready (The Roaring Girls); Paragon Dreams (Hull Truck); Us Against Whatever (Middle Child); The Ugly Duckling (The Herd in Association with Hull Truck); TEN (Hull Truck).

Associate Credits include: Dogs (Liverpool Playhouse); 71 Coltman Street (Hull Truck Theatre); Megalith (Mechanimal); Shedding a Skin (SOHO Theatre).

James Cook — Sound Designer

James won 'Best Sound Design' at the Panto Awards in 2019 and was also nominated for the 2022 Awards. He has extensive experience with actor-musician based musicals and enjoys overcoming the challenges that arise with the complex format. James has also worked on plays with immersive soundscapes and a dash of modest composition, in many regional theatres including the New Wolsey Theatre, Yvonne Arnaud and Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch to name a few. He has also designed for many commercial national touring shows.

Along with the aural aspects of Sound Design, James enjoys creating the design of the system and technical aspects that combine to create the experience for the audience. Find out more at www.james-cook.me.

Jess Curtis — Set & Costume Designer

Jess trained at Motley.

Recent work includes: Vincent River (The Bridge Theatre, Brussels); A Postcard From Morrocco (Dutch National Opera Academy); Jekyll And Hyde (Derby); Brief Encounter (Stephen Joseph Theatre); Genesis Inc. (Hampstead Theatre); Loosing Venice (The Orange Tree Theatre); Uncle Vanya (The Almeida); Villette, Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse); POD, Provok’d (devised at Guildhall School); Kiss Me Quickstep, Haunting Julia, Love Letters (The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch); One For The Road, Glass Cage, Follies (Royal and Derngate, Northampton); The Holy Rosenbergs (National Theatre); Hotel Cerise (Theatre Royal, Stratford East); Another Door Closed (Theatre Royal Bath); Endgame (Liverpool Everyman); Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse and West End); Frankenstein (Frantic Assembly, Northampton); Burial at Thebes (Nottingham Playhouse/Barbican/US Tour); Rhapsody, Fantasy (Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House).

She has also designed the Grovesnor Park Open Air Season 2013 - 2016/2021, the opening season at Storyhouse and bar interiors for Underbelly at the South Bank, Hyde Park and Leicester Square.

She is part of the Society of British Theatre’s Sustainability working group.

Daniel Denton — Video Designer

Daniel Denton is a London-based visual artist and video designer. With a background in illustration and experimental film, he has created live visuals across theatre, opera, dance, fashion, broadcast, and installation, and his video design work has garnered him multiple award nominations. Recent credits include Kinky Boots (New Wolsey/Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch); Happy Meal (Traverse/Australian Tour/Brixton House); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Leeds Playhouse/HOME Manchester); The Bone Sparrow (York Theatre Royal/UK tour); iGirl, On Raftery’s Hill (Abbey Theatre); For The Grace of You Go I (Theatre Clwyd); Whitewash (Soho Theatre); Flashdance (UK Tour/South Korean Tour); Sketching (Wilton’s Music Hall); Ready or Not (Arcola Theatre/UK Tour); Misty (Bush Theatre/Trafalgar Studios).

Nominations include WhatsOnStage Award for Best Video Design (Misty); Broadway World UK Award for Best Video Design (Happy Meal); Off West End Award for Best Video Design (Misty, Sketching); Theatre and Technology Award for Creative Innovation in Video (Ready or Not).

Margaret Lock — Wardrobe Supervisor

Debbie O'Brien — Casting Director

West End/UK Tours include: The Choir of Man; Dirty Dancing; Thriller Live; American Idiot; Knights of the Rose; 20th Century Boy; The Knowledge; Close to You; Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Sinatra; Our House; Starlight Express; Mum’s the Word; Jackie; I Was a Rat; Grease; The Snowman, Flashdance; The King and I; Showboat; Dancing in the Streets; The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas; Daisy Pulls It Off; The Harder They Come; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Saturday Night Fever; Fame; Peter Pan; The Pirates of Penzance; Smokey Joe’s Café; The Rocky Horror Show; Doctor In the House; Mahabharata; Anything Goes; What a Feeling; A Chorus Line; A Tribute to the Blues Brothers.

Regional and international productions include: Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera; Trio; Playboy of the West Indies; The Birds and the Bees; Never Lost at Home; Friends! The Musical Parody; Hugh Jackman The Show; Cruel Intentions; Friends the Musical Parody; Menopause the Musical; Starlight Express; Once; We’ll Live and Die In These Towns; The Noise Boys; Kinky Boots; Million Dollar Quartet,; Jersey Boys; Rock of Ages; Room; Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin; Oxy and the Morons; The Last Five Years; Five Guys Named Moe; The BFG.

Children’s casting includes: Waitress; The King and I; Avalanche; The Bodyguard; Caroline or Change; Annie; Medea; The Sound of Music.

Recorded media includes: Mimi’s World; Waybuloo; Grandpa In My Pocket; What’s Your News; Planet Cook.

Douglas Rintoul — Director

A photograph of Douglas Rintoul outside the New Wolsey Theatre, smiling, with his arms folded.

Douglas is an award-winning theatre-maker and cultural leader. He was born in Suffolk, grew up in Essex, read Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham and was awarded a bursary on the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme to Salisbury Playhouse where he trained as a director. He is the Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the New Wolsey Theatre, was the Artistic Director of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (2015 - 2022), founder of the national touring theatre company Transport (2010 - 2017), and an associate of Complicité (2004 - 2010).

Alexzandra Sarmiento — Choreographer

Theatre: 42 Balloons (Vaudeville Theatre); But I’m A Cheerleader (Turbine Theatre).

Projects in development include: The Children’s Inquiry (LUNG Theatre); ICON: The K-Pop Musical (Carter Dixon McGill).

Other creative credits include: Bonnie & Clyde - Garrick Theatre (as associate director & choreographer); Dare You Say Please - King's Head Theatre (as director); We're Few And Far Between - White Bear Theatre (as director); Chess in concert - Theatre Royal Drury Lane (as associate director & choreographer); Fangirls - UK development for SFP (as associate choreographer); Legally Blonde - Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre (as assistant choreographer); Bonnie & Clyde in concert - Theatre Royal Drury Lane (as assistant director); In The Heights - King’s Cross Theatre (as associate choreographer).

Tom Self — Music Direction, Orchestration and Additional Music Composition

Tom Self's headshot

Training: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance (Leverhulme Musical Theatre Trust Scholar).

Theatre credits include: Bert in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (Queen’s Theatre; Hornchurch); Bearsted in Ordinary People (Parkwood Theatres);  Sir Dinadan/Show Musical Director in Camelot (Watermill); Barefoot in the Park (Pitlochry Festival Theatre); Robin Hood (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch), Musical Director/Ronnie in Noël Coward’s: Me and The Girls (UK Tour); Union Chairman/Onstage Musical Director in The Hired Man (Hull Truck, Oldham Coliseum & Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, 2019 Offie Award Nomination); Sweet Charity (Watermill); Associate Musical Director for Murder for Two (Watermill/UK Tour/The Other Palace); Farrah Fawcett In/Onstage Musical Director in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, 2018 Offie Award Finalist); The Tramp/Onstage Musical Director in Salad Days (Theatre Royal Bath/Union Theatre); Musical Director of Aladdin, Peter PanBeauty & The Beast (Malvern Theatres, UK Productions); Musical Supervisor/Musical Director of Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jack & The Beanstalk, Peter Pan (Parkwood Theatres).

Tom recently wrote original music and lyrics for Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty (Offie Finalist, Best Pantomime) at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

@tomandhistaps.


Reviews of Brief Encounter

What the press say


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 'Flawless'

EADT

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'An ambitious and joyous visual feast not to be missed'

Experience Salisbury

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'HILARIOUSLY entertaining but beautifully nostalgic'

Salisbury Journal

What the public say

Brilliant adaption, excellent talented acting.

Audience Feedback

Very good interpretation. Loved it.

Audience Feedback

Just wonderful, this was so perfect.

Audience Feedback

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