Tam Williams’ revival of Noël Coward’s Still Life, fresh from the Mill at Sonning, pulls into Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a brief London stop, and it’s a delightfully immersive one. The Grand Saloon becomes Milford Junction’s tearoom, with audiences seated at cosy tables for two and served afternoon tea as Coward’s bittersweet romance unfolds around them.

It’s an inspired setting, even if the Grand Saloon is more opulent than Milford Junction’s refreshment room. There is something quintessentially British about pairing tea, sandwiches, and scones with Coward’s tale of forbidden love. For the press performance, most reviewers arrived solo and were somewhat mischievously paired with a stranger of the opposite gender, a clever touch that immediately made the audience part of the story.

Seated around the central bar like passengers waiting for their trains, we quietly inhabit Coward’s world as scenes unfold around us. Live cocktail-lounge piano music and the sound of passing trains further evoke the pre-war atmosphere, blurring the line between spectator and extra. Rather than simply watching the action, we are invited to sit inside it.

The story will be familiar, even to those who have never seen Brief Encounter. Laura Jesson (Rachel Pickup), a respectable housewife, meets Doctor Alec Harvey (Alasdair Craig) in the station tearoom after getting grit in her eye. Their chance encounter develops into an increasingly intense attraction. Both are married, however, and their affair must remain largely unspoken. They meet between trains, lunches, and cinema visits, caught between the conventions of their lives and feelings they can no longer entirely suppress.

Coward’s writing finds its power in restraint. Still Life is a tribute to the British stiff upper lip, drawing poignancy from what remains unsaid. Polite conversations, cups of tea, and awkward apologies exist in constant tension with the passion and longing simmering underneath. Pickup gives a particularly affecting performance as Laura, while Craig creates convincing chemistry with her as Alec. His understated manner makes Alec’s attempts to persuade Laura to leave their existing lives behind all the more compelling.

The supporting performances provide a welcome comic counterpoint. Elizabeth Elvin is an absolute delight as Myrtle, the brusque but capable manager of the station buffet, maintaining order amid the surrounding chaos. Antony Jardine plays ticket inspector Albert, whose affection for Myrtle provides a lighter parallel to Laura and Alec’s doomed romance. Jardine and Seren Sandham-Davies also take on several other roles, with both adding musical interludes.

There are inevitably challenges to performing in such an unconventional space. Sightlines are awkward from some tables, and the sound quality was occasionally poor. These are relatively minor reservations, however, and the cast rise above them without allowing the emotional richness of the piece to be lost.

The afternoon tea is an integral part of the experience rather than a mere extra. providing a suitably indulgent first course before the drama takes over. The combination works remarkably well, making this feel less like a conventional theatre visit and more like a particularly genteel afternoon out.

Still Life is ultimately a celebration of understatement, British manners and the ache of love that cannot be fulfilled. Williams’ inventive production brings Coward’s classic vividly to life, creating an intimate and immersive experience.

All aboard for an afternoon of tea and heartbreak: Coward would surely approve.

Four Stars.

Reviewed by Nina Gardner

Showing at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 12^th September

For tickets and further information see link below

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/still-life/

Creatives

Writer                    Noel Coward

Director               Tam Williams

 

Cast

Laura                      Rachel Pickup

Alec                         Alastair Craig

Myrtle                    Elizabeth Elvin

Albert                    Antony Jardine

Beryl                        Saren Sandham-Davies