The Norman Conquests - 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:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 24 July 2012

The third part of Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests trilogy always comes over as the most self-contained. Round and Round the Garden both sets the overall scene and tidies up some very stray loose ends further tangled by the libidinous librarian Norman – he, of course, would say that it’s merely his romanticism and desire to give others a good time. The set presents a challenge for any designer working with a small stage; Janice Smelts rises admirably to the challenge.

I’m not so sure about all the performances, however. Ayckbourn always presents women as three-dimensional; Edward Max’s production allows the two sisters and their brother’s wife to take centre stage. Sophia Linden is a compact bundle of not-quite controlled neuroses as Sarah, with Rhiannon Sommers as the business-suited, agile-brained Ruth – who knows (more or less) how to cope with her maverick husband Norman.

Then there’s Annie, the...

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