''Conjugal Rites'' is a play by the actor and playwright Roger Hall.

Performance history

''Conjugal Rites'' was first performed in the United Kingdom at the

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

on 24 January 1991. It starred

Nicky Henson Nicky Henson ( Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson; 12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor. Early life Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha ( Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson. Adam Henson, a f ...

and

Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom '' Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom ''Barbara'' ...

. The play was premiered at

Centrepoint Theatre Centrepoint Theatre is a theatre and theatre company in Palmerston North in New Zealand. Established in 1973, the theatre has employed more than 2500 actors and produced more New Zealand plays than any other theatre. History The theatre open ...

, Palmerston North in 1990 - starring Alice Fraser and Geoffrey Heath. It was also performed in New Zealand at the

Fortune Theatre (New Zealand) New Zealand's Fortune Theatre laid claim to being the world's southernmost professional theatre company and sole year round professional theatre group in Dunedin, until its closure on 1 May 2018, citing financial difficulties. The company ran ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. It starred

Timothy Bartlett Timothy Bartlett is a New Zealand stage, television and film actor who is best known for presenting TVNZ's Playschool in the 1980s, and playing Bernie Leach in ''Shortland Street'' in the mid-1990s. He first appeared in professional theatre for Au ...

and Janet Fisher. In 2011, ''Conjugal Rites'' was performed at The Courtyard Theatre in London, directed by Andrew Keates and starring Alexandra Boyd and Gary Heron.

Characters

*Barry, late forties/fifty *Gen(evieve), a few years younger than Barry

Synopsis

Barry, a dentist, and his wife Gen are in bed when the play begins. They are about to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary. The scene - their bedroom - remains the same throughout the play, as we see the couple discussing their marriage, their grown-up children and their work. It is clear that a major shift has occurred in the power balance between the two of them, since Gen has studied for a law degree in later life, and has recently become a practising solicitor. Towards the end of the play there are revelations about infidelities on both their parts - Barry with a patient, and Gen with a fellow solicitor.

TV adaptation

'' Conjugal Rites'' was adapted as a

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

for ITV made by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

which ran to 13 episodes over two series in 1993 and 1994. The lead roles were taken by

and Michael Williams. Though they are only referred to, but not seen, in the stage play, the couple's son and daughter appear in the sitcom: Phillip (

Stephen Moyer Stephen Moyer (born Stephen John Emery; 11 October 1969) is an English film and television actor who is best known as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series ''True Blood''. His first television role was in 1993 as Philip Masefield in the TV ad ...

) and Gillian (

Cordelia Bugeja Cordelia Bugeja (born 5 March 1976 in Chichester, West Sussex) is a British actress, best known for her roles as Julie in ''Not Going Out'', Nikki in '' EastEnders'', Melanie Hart in ''Family Affairs'', and sex worker Kate in ''Respectable''. ...

). Conjugal Rites
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References

*{{cite news, last=Rees, first=Jasper, title=Review: A sitcom with a certain air: it stinks, date=28 May 1994, publisher=The Independent, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/review-a-sitcom-with-a-certain-air-it-stinks-1439026.html, accessdate=2009-05-25 1991 plays Comedy plays New Zealand plays Plays by Roger Hall