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''Still Life'' is a short play by Noël Coward, one of ten that make up ''Tonight at 8:30'', a cycle written to be performed across three evenings. The play depicts the love affair of Alec and Laura across a twelve-month period. The sadness of Alec and Laura's serious and secretive affair is contrasted throughout the play with the boisterous, uncomplicated relationship of Myrtle and Albert, two of the station staff. In the introduction to a published edition of the plays, Coward wrote, "A short play, having a great advantage over a long one in that it can sustain a mood without technical creaking or over padding, deserves a better fate, and if, by careful writing, acting and producing I can do a little towards reinstating it in its rightful pride, I shall have achieved one of my more sentimental ambitions."〔(''Shaw Festival Study Guide, 2009'' ), p. 4. Accessed 17 March 2010.〕 ''Still Life'' was first produced in London (1936) and later presented in New York (1936–1937) and Canada (1938). It has enjoyed several major revivals and in 1945 was adapted for film under the title ''Brief Encounter''. Like all the other plays in the cycle, it originally starred Gertrude Lawrence and Coward himself. ==History== Six of the plays in ''Tonight at 8:30'' were first presented at the Manchester Opera House beginning on 15 October 1935,〔''The Manchester Guardian'', 16 October 1935, p. 11〕 and a seventh play, ''Family Album'', was added on the subsequent provincial tour. ''Still Life'', however, was added for the London run, together with ''Ways and Means'' and ''Star Chamber'', the last of which was performed only once.〔Hoare, pp. 268–70〕 The first London performance in the cycle was on 9 January 1936 at the Phoenix Theatre〔''The Times'' 10 January 1936, p. 10〕 but ''Still Life'' did not premiere until May 1936.〔''The Times'', 23 May 1936, p. 12〕 Coward directed all ten pieces, and each starred Coward and Gertrude Lawrence. Coward said that he wrote them as "acting, singing, and dancing vehicles for Gertrude Lawrence and myself".〔Coward, unnumbered introductory page〕 The plays were performed in various combinations of three at each performance during the original run. The plays chosen for each performance were announced in advance, although a myth evolved that the groupings were random.〔''The Times'', 20 January 1936, p. 10; 11 February 1936, p. 12; 2 March 1936, p. 12; 6 April 1936, p. 10; 2 May 1936, p. 12; 10 June 1936, p. 14.〕 Matinées were sometimes billed as ''Today at 2:30''. The Broadway openings for the three parts took place on 24 November 1936, 27 November 1936 and 30 November 1936 (including ''Still Life'') at the National Theatre, again starring Coward and Lawrence. ''Star Chamber'' was not included.〔(''Still Life'' and other plays ) at the IBDB database〕 The London and New York runs were limited only by Coward's boredom at long engagements.〔Kenrick, John. ("Noel Coward 101: Coward's Musicals", ) ''Musicals 101: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film''〕 Major productions of parts of the cycle included Broadway revivals in 1948 (not including ''Still Life'') and 1967 (including ''Still Life'' ) and in 1981 at the Lyric Theatre in London (not including ''Still Life''). The Antaeus Company in Los Angeles revived all ten plays in October 2007. In 2009, the Shaw Festival revived the full cycle.〔Belcher, David. ("Brushing Up Their Coward in Canada" ). ''The New York Times'', 17 August 2009〕 ''Still Life'' was given a television production in 1951.〔("Schlitz Playhouse of Stars", ''Still Life'' (1951) ) at the IMDB database〕 In 1991, BBC television mounted productions of the individual plays starring Joan Collins.〔Truss, Lynne. "Tonight at 8.30", ''The Times'', 15 April 1991〕 In most of the plays she took the Lawrence roles, but in ''Still Life'' she played Myrtle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Still Life (play)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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