A Brief Encounter with Nol Coward Still Life & Come into the Garden, Maud Our production comprises two short plays by Nol Coward, one of which inspired the classic 1945 movie Brief Encounter. In Still Life, Alec and Laura meet and fall in love in a railway station tearoom. Their relationship is mirrored by the courtship rituals of two other couples. But Alec and Laura are both happily married will they follow their hearts or bury their love forever? An American couple are staying in a luxury Swiss hotel in Come Into the Garden, Maud. But Anne-Mary is petulant and domineering, while her husband Verner is quiet and philosophical. Verner is drawn to a wealthy widow, Maud Caragnani, who pays the couple a visit. Will he take a chance on love, or remain stuck in his loveless marriage?