Exiles (1980) by James Joyce.

Rejected by W.B Yeats for production at the Abbey Theatre, Exiles is James Joyce's only extant play. A great admirer of Henrik Ibsen, Joyce owed far more than a literary debt to the Norwegian playwright. It could be argued that the first thirty years of Joyce’s life were modelled on Ibsen’s own autobiography. Exiles, published in 1918 and premiered in Munich in August 1919, was dismissed as derivative and the work of a young novice in thrall to a great master.

Joyce described the structure of the play as "three cat and mouse acts". There are obvious parallels with Joyce's own life. The main character Richard Rowan is a writer cohabiting with his "common-law wife", Bertha.

In 1970, Nobel laureate Harold Pinter directed Exiles in its first major London production at the Mermaid Theatre. The cast included Vivien Merchant, Lynn Farleigh, Marjorie Wilde, John Wood, David Parfitt and Timothy West.

A production directed by Vincent Dowling opened at The Peacock Theatre on 21st February 1973 starring Bosco Hogan, Nuala Hayes, Kevin McHugh, Máire O’Neill, Donald Reynolds and May Cluskey. It ran for twenty performances.

In the 1980 RTÉ production Daniel Reardon was Richard Rowan and his wife Bertha was played by Barbara McCaughey. Conor Farrington played Robert Hand and Kate Minogue was his cousin Beatrice Justice. Brigid was Celia Salkeld and Archie was played by Luke Cauldwell.

The producer was Tim Danaher

Dur 85 mins.