Letter to Brezhnev review: Royal Court adaptation reunites Merseyside romance with Russian sailors

The Royal Court in Liverpool is staging an adaptation of Letter to Brezhnev, the 1985 film about a post-industrial Liverpool woman who meets a Russian sailor during a night out. Ellie Clayton plays Elaine, the lead character originally portrayed by Alexandra Pigg, described as combining "wit and wonder" as a Kirkby girl who uses stolen cash for an evening that unexpectedly opens up the world to her.

The stage version, featuring Clayton and Angela Simms, stays close to the original film's story of border-defying love set during the Cold War, a few years before the Soviet Union's collapse. Critic notes the character can be "naive, petulant and cynical" but maintains audience sympathy throughout.