Stephen Mangan in The Norman Conquests
Tweet

Review Round-up: Old Vic Norman Conquers Critics

Critics got to experience all three plays in Matthew Warchus’ revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1973 comic trilogy The Norman Conquests at the Old Vic yesterday (7 October), after celebrities had their first glimpse at last week’s gala performance (See 1st Night Photos, 3 Oct 2008).

The trilogy is played out in three different areas of the house - Table Manners in the dining room, Living Together in the living room and Round and Round the Garden in the garden – with the action of each occurring simultaneously. 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 Reg’s wife Sarah and woo his wife Ruth during a disastrous weekend.

At the Old Vic – where the auditorium has been specially reconfigured in-the-round to recreate the intimacy of the original staging of the comedies – Stephen Mangan plays Norman alongside Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Amanda Root, Ben Miles and Paul Ritter. The production is directed by Matthew Warchus and designed by Rob Howell. The three plays run in rep at the Old Vic until 20 December 2008.

Overnight critics were rapturous about the revival of “a comic masterpiece of the late twentieth century”, and in awe of the “ingeniously reconfigured” Old Vic auditorium. Of the three plays, Table Manners was highlighted by some as the jewel in the crown, with “few scenes in modern comedy to rival” its set-piece dinner scene. The cast, particularly Stephen Mangan’s “shaggy Lawrentian” take on Norman, were roundly praised and considered equal to their famous predecessors. And most agreed that this trilogy constitutes one of the year’s stand-out theatrical experiences – “a staging of almost continuous pleasure”.

Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph - “There are many blissful moments in these three plays, concerning a family gathering in a crumbling country house that left me physically helpless with hilarity. But the humour in Ayckbourn is rarely simple, and often dark … There is actually little to choose between Ayckbourn and Strindberg or Beckett when it comes to pessimism apart from the fact that Ayckbourn has the better jokes … Matthew Warchus' sharply observed production, staged in the round in an ingeniously reconfigured Old Vic auditorium, finds all the strengths of these terrific plays with the help of an outstanding cast. There were moments when I wanted to climb on stage and strangle Stephen Mangan's horribly pleased-with-himself Norman … And though her part is underdeveloped, Amelia Bullmore has some hilarious moments as Norman's sharp but myopic wife. Back in the Seventies, Penelope Keith, Felicity Kendal, Michael Gambon and Tom Courtenay were among those who starred in The Norman Conquests. This outstanding new company matches their achievement in a staging of almost continuous pleasure.”

- by Theo Bosanquet

Related Content