Review: LETTER TO BREZHNEV, Royal Court Liverpool
Photo credit: AB Photography
Letter to Brezhnev has returned to Liverpool with gusto! 41 years after Frank Clarke put Liverpool firmly on the map of silver screen lovers with his film, he has adapted the tale for the stage. Directed by Nicole Behan and produced by Liverpool’s Royal Court, it is a celebration of imagination, determination and love across… “knitted iron curtains”.
We meet best friends Elaine (Ellie Clayton) and Teresa (Angela Simms) in a Kirkby ale house in 1985. Fresh off shift in the town’s chicken factory, and tired of the dramas of local life, Teresa has her sights on a night in town, while Elaine’s mind is firmly on the pennies in her purse, or lack of them. Fast forward a few hours and Elaine’s eyes lock across a packed city centre dancefloor, with those of Peter (Thomas Cotran), a member of the Soviet Union’s navy, docked in the city for one night only.
We follow Elaine and Peter, who are followed by Teresa and Peter’s mate Sergei (Liam Powell-Berry), through a night of dance floors, takeaways and upper bus decks; by the morning, Elaine and Peter are in love. When Peter steps back on deck and returns to the “East”, Elaine must find a way for them to reunite, against the backdrop of the Cold War and anti-Russian sentiment. Will a letter, written in Kirkby and sent through the Iron Curtain to President Brezhnev, be enough?
The story examines relationships: those between people and those between countries. It is set against a backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain, but the themes are as relevant today: strength in the face of hardship, rising youth unemployment and division through fear. It highlights the importance of friendship and what it can teach us.
Under Behan’s direction, the plot is pacy with scenes of brash disco dancing balanced with moments of quiet romance, and star gazing. Key phrases are emphasised by choral voice work from the ensemble cast, which emits a palpable warm glow from the stage.
The ark of Elaine’s character, from meek twenty-something to front page news, is wonderfully presented by Clayton. Simms artfully takes Teresa’s character in the opposite direction, ending the production poignantly with confirmation of the vulnerability that has been hinted at, or rather shouted about, throughout. The ensemble cast, many of whom are Liverpool locals, do a marvellous job of putting the city on the stage as a host of supporting characters. Special mention must go to Michelle Butterly who travels between the fiery Betty and prim Mrs Spencer with the audience in the palm of her hand.
Mark Walter’s multi-level set design provides the ideal setting for this tale of movement; the cast shimmy down onto dance floors and club toilets, rush up to hotel rooms and decks, burst through doors to birthday parties and idle behind fences onto ships. Light is powerfully used by Ian Scott to take us from Kirkby at dusk, into the disco and then up to Brezhnev’s state rooms, all against Kate Harvey’s audio landscape of 80s classics that have the audience shuffling in their seats.
Letter to Brezhnev returns to Liverpool at a timely moment, reminding us that “love is universal” and bringing laughs galore. Recommended for fans of the 1985 film, first time readers of the Letter and those keen for a wonderfully-told Liverpool love story.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Lauren Wilson
Letter to Brezhnev plays at Liverpool’s Royal Court until 17 October, with further info here.