The Norman Conquests - Table Manners/Living Together/Round and Round the Garden

Synopsis

The action of each play takes place simultaneously and follows the same six characters in the same English country house from Saturday evening to Monday morning. Believing it his mission in life to make women happy by showering them with love, Norman makes the most of every opportunity to seduce his sister-in-law Annie, charm his brother-in-law’s wife Sarah and woo his wife Ruth during a disastrous weekend of squabbling, eating, drinking and fondling.

Our Review:

7 October 2008

It is now possible to look at Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests – an interlocking trilogy of plays set simultaneously over the same weekend in different locations (dining-room, sitting-room and garden) of a modest Victorian house in the Sussex countryside – and proclaim a comic masterpiece of the late twentieth century.

And in presenting them in the round – in an astonishing transformation of the Old Vic which builds the stalls up to stage level and creates a complimentary circle behind the action without defacing the peculiar properties of the original auditorium (in fact, enhancing them) – Kevin Spacey and the show’s director and designer Matthew Warchus and Rob Howell have honoured Ayckbourn’s creative roots in Scarborough in a way no West End revival of any of his plays has ever done.

I have not seen the trilogy since Eric Thompson’s production at the Globe (now the Gielgud) thirty-five years ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

houndtang - 6 December 2008:

Good acting, but did seem dated. The audience seemed to enjoy it but I am usually left cold by this kind of thing - Donkey's Years for instance. The final scene between Ben Miles and Jessica Hynes was very well done though....

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

Review Round-up: Old Vic Norman Conquers Critics More»