Brief Encounter ***

Like the current The 39 Steps, Emma Rice's Brief Encounter is a cleverly deconstructed take on a classic British film. Interestingly the film itself was an adaptation by Coward of his play Still Life, so what we are watching is a play based on a film based on a play. Unlike The 39 Steps which reduces the film to its essentials and relies on the audience's imagination to carry it along, Brief Encounter opens up the film with songs (by Noel Coward, of course), projections, puppets, amusing props and even a bit of vaudeville. It won Rice the Olivier Award for best director. After an acclaimed limited run at St. Ann's Warehouse late last year, it is now back in New York as a Roundabout production at Studio 54. Most of the dialogue is taken verbatim from Coward's screenplay, but there are liberties such as an added character to provide a love interest for the young waitress. Some scenes have been truncated to make room for the interpolations and the ending has been tweaked a bit to be more optimistic. The actors' accents are plummy, but not overripe. They effortlessly navigate the shoals between twee and camp without running aground. At 90 minutes, it does not wear out its welcome.

Freud's Last Session ****

This lively two-hander by Mark St. Germaine presents an imagined conversation between Freud and C.S. Lewis on the day Britain enters WWII. Martin Raynor makes a powerful impression as Freud, wracked with the horrible pain of oral cancer, but still in possession of his wits and his wit. Mark H. Dold is slightly less effective as Lewis. The two argue the existence of God and poke at each other's beliefs with entertaining and moving results. The set, a detailed recreation of Freud's Hampstead study, is a treat to see. The Little Theater at the West Side Y is a gem (but avoid rows B and C because they are not raked). All in all, a very enjoyable 80 minutes.