Still Life (play) in Paris in 1968 under the title "Brève Recontre" (presented in tandem with "Nous Dansons"), and in the same year, along with "Fumed Oak", it formed the basis for a musical, not by Coward, called "Mr. and Mrs". The film was remade in 1974 starring Richard Burton and Sophia Loren. In 2008, a stage version of "Brief Encounter" was presented in London at the Haymarket Cinema and on tour by Kneehigh Theatre using a combination of the text of "Still Life" and the screenplay. In May 2009, Houston Grand Opera premiered an opera in two acts based on "Brief Encounter",
Noël Coward vanity and drug abuse among the upper classes. Its notoriety and fiery performances attracted large audiences, justifying a move from a small suburban theatre to a larger one in the West End. Coward, still having trouble finding producers, raised the money to produce the play himself. During the run of "The Vortex", Coward met Jack Wilson, an American stockbroker (later a director and producer), who became his business manager and lover. Wilson used his position to steal from Coward, but the playwright was in love and accepted both the larceny and Wilson's heavy drinking. The success of "The Vortex" in