Tonight at Eight-thirty

plays by Coward

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 18, 2026

Quick Summary

"Tonight at Eight-thirty" was a collection of one-act plays by Noël Coward performed in 1936. Coward himself starred alongside Gertrude Lawrence. One of these plays, "Still Life," was later adapted into the acclaimed film "Brief Encounter" in 1945. Coward was renowned for his polished comedies of manners, often exploring sophisticated characters and their unconventional relationships, as seen in plays like "Private Lives" and "Design for Living". His work frequently captured the witty, disillusioned spirit of the post-World War I era.

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Noël Coward
Other successes included Tonight at Eight-thirty (1936), a group of one-act plays performed by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, with whom he often played. He rewrote (with help from director David Lean and two others) one of the short plays, Still Life, as the film Brief Encounter (1945). Present…
Read More
Other successes included Tonight at Eight-thirty (1936), a group of one-act plays performed by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, with whom he often played. He rewrote (with help from director David Lean and two others) one of the short plays, Still Life, as the film Brief Encounter (1945). Present…
Read More