RIALTO CHATTER: Roundabout to Present London's BREIF ENCOUNTER on Broadway in '10-'11?

The Roundabout Theatre Company has put out a casting call for a New York production of Noel Coward's BRIEF ENCOUNTER, currently playing in London, presented by the Kneehigh Theatre. Production contract details reveal that Emma Rice will direct.

The first rehearsal will be held in London with the current West End cast on Auguest 23, 2010, with the first rehearsal in New York commencing in early September.  The first performance in York York is scheduled for September 9, 2010 for a limited run through March 13, 2011.

The casting notice lists the following available roles:

Stanley: 20s. Charming, uncomplicated, quirky and a bit awkward. Stanley comes to represent youth and hope in our story. Seeking an actor who sings well and has guitar/bass experience. Extremely interested in actors of all body types and ethnicities.

Johnnie/Bobbie: 20s-30s. Johnnie: Confident young man who bothers Myrtle for a bit of liquor. Bobbie: Laura's young son who wants nothing more then to go to the circus. This actor must be musical and have the ability to play multiple instruments (open to all different instruments). Actor in this role will also understudy Alec, Stanley and Albert/Fred.

Laura / Beryl / Myrtle Understudy:Woman, 30s. Seeking an actor who sings well.

The remainder of the roles will be filled by the London cast, which appears will be making the transfer.

Originally a film, Brief Encounter tells a story of the mores of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love (as opposed to the polite arrangement of her marriage) was an unexpectedly "violent" thing.

The 2008 Kneehigh Theatre production was adapted for the stage by Emma Rice and is a mixture of the film and the stage play, with additional musical elements. It toured the UK before opening in February 2008 at the Haymarket Cinema in London, which was converted into a theatre for the play. The 2008 London cast included Amanda Lawrence and Tamzin Griffin, with Tristan Sturrock and Naomi Frederick in the lead roles. The production ran until November 2008 and then toured the UK for 27 weeks from February to July 2009 with venues including the Oxford Playhouse, Marlowe Theatre and the Richmond Theatre and, with the two leads played by Hannah Yelland and Milo Twomey. The U.S. premiere at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA ran from September to October, 2009. The adaptation was performed in New York at St. Ann's Warehouse in December 2009 and January 2010 and at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in February - April 2010.

For more information on the London production of Brief Encounter and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.seebriefencounter.com/