|
Intimate Exchanges was written by Alan
Ayckbourn during the course of 1982 to mark the 25th anniversary of his
arrival in Scarborough. It still stands as one of his most ambitious works.
The play(s) developed following a tour of Way Upstream to Houston
with the Scarborough company. At the climax of the tour, the majority of the
company expressed a need to rest or move on leaving Alan with just two
actors, Robin Herford and Lavinia Bertram. Fortunately, they were two of the
most experienced actors and of whom Alan thought highly. In response, Alan
decided to propose an idea he had been considering of a two-hander that
would break many conventions and offer a unique challenge to his actors.
Wanting to explore the decisions we make in our lives, he came up with the
idea of a play where every scene leads to a decision. The result: eight
major variations of the play, each with alternative endings. He had
previously experimented with variant plays with Sisterly Feelings,
but this was altogether more ambitious and – importantly – would not be
randomly decided each night.
He proposed this idea to Robin and Lavinia over separate dinners in Houston.
At this point, the plays only had four variants and though both actors were
willing, Robin, recently a father, was not very confident about what he had
committed himself to.
Alan began with the structure (see
Structure) of the entire project and
started writing. The first variant, A Cricket Match, premiered in
Scarborough on 3 June 1982; the rest were introduced over the course of the
following year. The plays were a great success and the theatre hung a large
illustration of the structure in the foyer indicating the path being taken
each night. It also emphasised that the plays could be seen in any order and
that it was not necessary to see all the versions – although to be fair and
to truly comprehend what Alan is trying to say with the play, Intimate
Exchanges gains much by seeing or reading all eight major variants.
The critics were divided about the work with some suggesting it was no more
than a brilliant technical exercise and acting showcase, while others felt
it actually contained some of Alan’s best work. It would be fair to say,
Intimate Exchanges manages to be a bit of both. It is an extraordinary
technical exercise, but it also contains some of Alan’s finest writing and
in a couple of the variants, has some heart-breakingly intense scenes of
human life. The critics’ response was perhaps not helped by the fact that
many did not manage to see more than a couple of variants of the plays;
indeed the Scarborough Evening News apparently refused to review more than
one noting it had already reviewed the play for the summer!
The run in Scarborough finished with the Grand Celebration, in which over
the course of two weeks, every variant of the play was performed.
From Scarborough, in June 1984 with Robin and Lavinia, it went to the
Greenwich Theatre, London, for a limited run. In August of the same
year, the producer Ray Cooney took it to the intimate Ambassadors Theatre
where it ran for seven months receiving a Comedy of the Year nomination in
the 1984 Olivier Awards with Lavinia a Comedy Performance nomination. Robin and Lavinia also recorded four variants for the BBC World
Service.
During the entire run with Robin and Lavinia, there were no major mistakes
and, famously, Alan told Robin at the end of it all he would never have
problems with his lines again. Robin replied he didn’t know whether he
wanted to act any more and has since become a highly respected director –
particularly of Alan’s work.
Despite standing as a classic Ayckbourn creation, Intimate Exchanges
has only been produced once more in its entirety since the end of the London run. Its
scale and ambition obviously put huge demands on any company or theatre
wishing to stage it. However, the play is still popular with professional
and amateur companies and is frequently performed; albeit only a couple of
variants at a time. Although written for two actors, Alan does allow it to
be performed by more, but says he doesn’t really see the point in doing
this.
Intimate Exchanges has also been made into two films by the acclaimed
French director Alain Resnais. Smoking / No Smoking adapted twelve of
the 16 variants and starred Sabine Azema and Pierre Arditi. Resnais, a
personal friend of Alan’s, observed the reason that he and Alan worked well
together was because Alan’s plays were cinematic whereas his films were
theatrical. Certainly, Smoking / No Smoking have a unique feel to
them winning a number of major awards on the European film circuit including
five Cesars. Although they are rarely screened on television and are
currently only available on DVD in France, they do stand alongside Alain
Resnais's Coeurs as the filmed
adaptations of his work of which Alan is apparently the fondest.
In interviews since 1984, Alan mentioned the fact he would like to revive
the entire piece, but finding actors willing to commit for a year of their
lives was difficult. However, during 2006 and 2007, Alan revived Intimate
Exchanges, offering a chance to appreciate – 23 years on – the play in
its entirety. Unfortunately, two weeks prior to the start of rehearsals Alan
suffered a stroke which would keep him from work for six months. With all
the other pieces in place, Tim Luscombe stepped in to direct Bill Champion
and Claudia Elmhirst in the first six plays. Alan returned to direct A
Pageant and A Game Of Golf in 2007 and the entire cycle toured to
New York as part of the Brits Off Broadway festival. This acclaimed run,
which broke box office records at the 59E59 Theatres, was nominated for two
Drama Desk Awards in 2008 for Best Play and Best Actor (Bill Champion).
Copyright: Simon Murgatroyd 2009 |
