The Revengers' Comedies
Encyclopedia
The Revengers' Comedies is a play by Alan Ayckbourn
. Its title references that of The Revenger's Tragedy
. The play is an epic piece running more than five hours and was designed to be presented in two parts. It was inspired by the playwright's love of film
s and references many notable movies, particularly the Alfred Hitchcock
classic Strangers on a Train
.
by leaping from the Albert Bridge
in London
. When neither succeeds, they strike a bargain whereby each agrees to exact revenge on behalf of the other.
Karen finds employment at Lembridge Tennit, the conglomerate for which Henry worked, and in short order two of her bosses meet violent deaths and a third has a nervous breakdown. Henry, meanwhile, is finding it difficult to keep his end of the bargain, since he has fallen in love with Imogen. Instead of planning her demise, he begins an affair with the beguiling woman. After accidentally killing her husband, Henry finds himself torn between marrying her and fulfilling his promise to Karen by disposing of her. In the end, love prevails, and a thwarted Karen hurls herself into the Thames River.
, a theatre in the round
, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire on June 13, 1989, with Jon Strickland as Henry, Christine Kavanagh as Karen, and Elizabeth Bell as Imogen. It proved to be a critical and commercial success .
Ayckbourn was anxious to open a West End
production at the Royal National Theatre
, which he felt was the only London
venue capable of accommodating the complicated staging. The National was interested only if the two parts were condensed into one play, but Ackroyd refused . Producer Michael Codron
was willing to stage the plays as written, and Part I opened at the Strand Theatre
on October 16, 1991, with Part II presented the following night. The cast included Griff Rhys Jones
as Henry, then relatively unknown Lia Williams
as Karen, and Joanna Lumley
as Imogen. Williams won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer Award for her performance.
Because the Strand is a traditional proscenium
theatre, staging was problematic, and moving walkways designed to allow the sets to move quickly proved to be expensive. Audiences didn't respond well to a format that required them to attend two performances to see a complete play, and ticket sales suffered as a result. The plays closed on January 4, 1992 .
adapted the plays for broadcast in 1996. Two years later, a film version entitled Sweet Revenge
was written and directed by Malcolm Mowbray
, but it failed to find a distributor. It was telecast by BBC Two
in December 1999 and eventually released on DVD
.
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
. Its title references that of The Revenger's Tragedy
The Revenger's Tragedy
The Revenger's Tragedy is an English language Jacobean revenge tragedy, in the past attributed to Cyril Tourneur but is sometimes considered to be the work of Thomas Middleton by "Middletonians"...
. The play is an epic piece running more than five hours and was designed to be presented in two parts. It was inspired by the playwright's love of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and references many notable movies, particularly the Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
classic Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film)
Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,...
.
Plot
The plot focuses on two disparate characters. Henry Bell is a 42-year-old executive, divorced and recently fired from his job, and Karen Knightly is 25-years-old, wealthy, very eccentric, and recently abandoned by her lover Anthony Staxton-Billing, who opted to return to his wife Imogen. Both are intent on committing suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by leaping from the Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge, London
Albert Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge over the River Thames in West London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When neither succeeds, they strike a bargain whereby each agrees to exact revenge on behalf of the other.
Karen finds employment at Lembridge Tennit, the conglomerate for which Henry worked, and in short order two of her bosses meet violent deaths and a third has a nervous breakdown. Henry, meanwhile, is finding it difficult to keep his end of the bargain, since he has fallen in love with Imogen. Instead of planning her demise, he begins an affair with the beguiling woman. After accidentally killing her husband, Henry finds himself torn between marrying her and fulfilling his promise to Karen by disposing of her. In the end, love prevails, and a thwarted Karen hurls herself into the Thames River.
Productions
The play premiered at the Stephen Joseph TheatreStephen Joseph Theatre
The Stephen Joseph Theatre is a theatre in the round in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England that was founded by Stephen Joseph and was the first theatre in the round in Britain....
, a theatre in the round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire on June 13, 1989, with Jon Strickland as Henry, Christine Kavanagh as Karen, and Elizabeth Bell as Imogen. It proved to be a critical and commercial success .
Ayckbourn was anxious to open a West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production at the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, which he felt was the only London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
venue capable of accommodating the complicated staging. The National was interested only if the two parts were condensed into one play, but Ackroyd refused . Producer Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
was willing to stage the plays as written, and Part I opened at the Strand Theatre
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster.-History:The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of the Waldorf Hotel, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre opened as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was...
on October 16, 1991, with Part II presented the following night. The cast included Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
as Henry, then relatively unknown Lia Williams
Lia Williams
Lia Williams is an English actress and film director, notable for many stage, film, and television appearances. She is possibly best known for her role in the motion picture, Dirty Weekend...
as Karen, and Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
as Imogen. Williams won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer Award for her performance.
Because the Strand is a traditional proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
theatre, staging was problematic, and moving walkways designed to allow the sets to move quickly proved to be expensive. Audiences didn't respond well to a format that required them to attend two performances to see a complete play, and ticket sales suffered as a result. The plays closed on January 4, 1992 .
Adaptations
BBC RadioBBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
adapted the plays for broadcast in 1996. Two years later, a film version entitled Sweet Revenge
Sweet Revenge (1998 film)
Sweet Revenge is a 1998 British comedy film written and directed by Malcolm Mowbray. The screenplay is based on the epic two-part play The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn....
was written and directed by Malcolm Mowbray
Malcolm Mowbray
Malcolm Mowbray is a British screenwriter and television and film director.Mowbray began his career in television, directing episodes of Premiere, BBC2 Playhouse, and Objects of Affection...
, but it failed to find a distributor. It was telecast by BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in December 1999 and eventually released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.