Work of the Month: Brief Encounter
In November we celebrate the anniversary of the release of one of Coward’s most enduring works: Brief Encounter. This year we’re focusing on the origins, adaptations and performances of the character of Laura Jesson.
The role was originally written for Coward’s close friend Gertrude Lawrence in a 1-act play called Still Life which was performed as part of a collection of plays called Tonight At 8.30. The original production of Still Life itself was mounted in 1936 with Coward playing Alec and Joyce Carey as Myrtle (the role she would later play in the film Brief Encounter).
Unlike Still Life, Brief Encounter is told squarely from the point of view of Laura Jesson (played by Celia Johnson), who narrates the story. It gives us a real insight into her psyche and allowed Coward’s screenplay to explore her character in more depth. The film also allowed us to see her family, her children and her home life, while the original play never left the famous Milford Station.
“Saw very rough cut of Brief Encounter. Delighted with it. Celia quite wonderful… Whole thing beautifully played and directed”
Coward Diary, Saturday 2nd June 1945
Extract of notes for Still Life, (C) NCAT
We thought it would be interested to delve into the archive and find Coward’s notebooks to investigate the origins of the play and of Laura herself, about whom he wrote extensive notes.
Laura Fayne – born 1900 in Cornwall – childhood school in Cornwall, holidays at home by the sea – married Frederick Jesson in 1922 – solicitors clerk in London. They live there for a few years then over to Ketchworth, Fred’s home town. Fred becomes first of all Junior Partner in his father’s office then, on the death of his father in 1930, Senior Partner at Jesson, Holford & Rhys. Laura’s children, Freddie, aged 13, Betty, aged 11 and Robin aged 9.
FACTS:
Laura’s mother died of cancer 1918. Her father still alive and married again. One married sister, May and one unmarried brother, rather a waster, tea planting in Ceylon.
INTERESTS:
Children, animals – books, average- mostly novels- Walpole, Phyllis Gibbs, Sheila Kaye-Smith, etc. Bored by Shaw – not particularly musical – loves movies, particularly gangster ones, “Silly Symphonies” (on account of the children) and “Travelogues”.
from Coward’s Notebooks (C) NCAT
Other ‘Lauras’ included Margaret Leighton (on a recording with Coward of excerpts from various of his plays), with Sophia Loren and Jane Asher taking the role in television adaptations.
Musical Adaptations
LP cover ‘Mr & Mrs’
In the late fifties, Leonard Bernstein was contemplating a musical adaptation of Brief Encounter, of which Coward was supportive. Who wouldn’t want to hear how that might have gone! But in the end audiences would have to wait another ten years to hear Laura sing – this time in John Taylor’s Mr & Mrs, which paired Still Life with Fumed Oak. In this production, the role of Laura was performed by Honor Blackman, whose performance was described as ‘charming’ by Coward in his diary of Monday 16th December 1968.
An operatic adaptation of Brief Encounter appeared in 2009 written by André Previn and John Caird.
The most recent adaptation was written and directed by Emma Rice, who put Coward’s songs into the mouths of the characters and this production continues to be revived.
Our Work of the Month blog will return in February. Thank you for reading this year - we hope you’ve enjoyed these posts.
