Brief Encounter

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Brief Encounter

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 7m

Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter
Adapted for the stage by Emma Rice

Adapted from the play Still Life and the screenplay Brief Encounter, both by Noël Coward

A heart-wrenching, inventive new stage adaptation of Noël Coward’s timeless love story.

Image: 2010 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 7m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Stage & Screen)
Brief Encounter

Details

Summary

Your heart dances. The world seems strange and new. You want to laugh and skip and fall forever… You are in love. You are in love with the wrong person. Laura, the respectable suburban wife, and Alec, the idealistic, married doctor, meet in a station buffet and fall passionately in love, but are doomed never to find fulfilment.

David Lean’s iconic 1945 movie, Brief Encounter, was written by Noël Coward and was based on one of his one-act plays, Still Life, written a decade earlier. Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Kneehigh Theatre Company, has adapted this timeless tale of joy and heartache for the stage, interspersing the romantic action with nine Coward ditties.

Read more about why we love Brief Encounter on the Samuel French UK blog

History
David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Cineworld presented Kneehigh’s production of Noël Coward's Brief Encounter, adapted by Emma Rice, at the Cinema Haymarket on 2 February 2008.
LAURA JESSON
ALEC HARVEY
USHER/FRED JESSON/ALBERT GODBY/STEPHEN LYNN
USHER/BERYL/WAITRESS/HERMIONE/DOLLY MESSITER
USHER/MYRTLE/MARGARET/MARY
USHER/STANLEY/JOHNNIE
USHER/BOBBIE/BILL
  • Time Period 1930s
  • Setting England during the winter of 1938-39.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Play with Music
  • Duration 90 minutes

Media

“Exquisite... A delicate, whimsical creation.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“A first-class return to romance.” – Charles Spencer, Telegraph

“Ms. Rice and her wonderful company have made it possible to embrace Brief Encounteronce more with feeling.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“A witty and sympathetic homage to Coward’s unforgettable portrayal of English reserve and romance.” – Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph

Photos

  • Brief Encounter

    Image: 2010 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Brief Encounter

    Image: 2010 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.
  • Mandatory Music/Media Fee: £18 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Noël Coward

Noël Peirce Coward was born in 1899 and made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in The Goldfish at the age of 12, leading to many child actor appearances over the next few years. His breakthrough in playwriting was the controversial The Vortex (1924), which feature ...

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Author

Emma Rice

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