If you are keen to see an intimate show in an iconic London theatre and do something different, then allow me to introduce you to Still Life. On in the Grand Saloon Bar at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, this show gives you the opportunity to experience the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in a very different way.
Paired with a light afternoon tea before the show and a production that takes place in the bar around you, this show transports you to Milford Junction Railway Station and, in particular, the refreshment room within it. Still Life is the play that inspired the film Brief Encounter and we see Laura and Alec, both married with children, meet in the room and watch as they return there each week, discovering how their relationship has developed. We also meet others who work in the station, from Myrtle, who runs the tea room, through to Alfred, an inspector who is seeking her affection, and from Beryl, the young waitress, through to Stanley, who makes excuses to come to the tea room to see Beryl.
The uniqueness of the show’s setting is one of its biggest selling points and, as it is a short show at just one hour, pairing it with an afternoon tea is the perfect way to make it into more of an experience. The location within the stunning bar at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, whilst one of its biggest assets, is also one of its biggest curses and the layout of the bar often makes it difficult for some seats to fully see the action, especially the conversations between Laura and Alec. The majority of the action between them is set at a high table on one side of the bar; however, by necessity this means that at least one of the actors is often turned, at least partially, away from you and sometimes obscured altogether by other items of furniture.
The play itself is intriguing, although as someone who has never watched Brief Encounter, it felt like it would sit better as a supplement to the film rather than a fully fledged play, even appreciating the fact that the play did indeed come first. As the audience is only privy to the public presentation of the relationship, much of it is deliberately understated and self-contained, which meant that at times I was wanting to know more or peel back some of the layers.
Laura and Alec were played by Rachel Pickup and Alasdair Craig, who did so with the subtlety and restraint needed for a piece like this, with the larger-than-life characters left for the station staff. Elizabeth Elvin played Myrtle and her flirtation with Alfred, played by Antony Jardin, was a welcome contrast to the more formal public relationship between Laura and Alec.
Ultimately, Still Life is perhaps as much about the experience as the play itself. Sitting in the Grand Saloon Bar of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, enjoying afternoon tea before being transported to a 1940s railway refreshment room, makes for a wonderfully different way to spend an afternoon. Whilst the production itself left me wanting to peel back a few more layers, the combination of the setting, the intimacy of the performance and the afternoon tea makes this more than simply an hour of theatre and instead a rather lovely afternoon out.
Still Life is running at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from the 8th – 12th September. You can find out more and book tickets here.
If you like this review you might also be interested in my review of the Phantom of the Opera Afternoon Tea, Who Killed Marilyn and Arcadia.