The Royal Exchange has pulled off the impossible and crafted a feel-good ‘Brief Encounter’. But does it miss the point?

The tragic love story: now a sunny musical

Dear members — an extramarital affair. Deception. The depths of despair. Hardly the stuff of festive cheer — well, not until the Royal Exchange got their hands on the material. Which is to say that an act of transformation has taken place: the 1945 movie classic Brief Encounter (itself an adaptation of a Noel Coward play) is now a musical, and you can go and see it to get in the mood for Christmas! We sent writer and cultural enthusiast Ophira Gottlieb along to evaluate the success of this bold adaptation.

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