The Norman Conquests
Click the links below for more details or to book online.
Table Mannersfrom Thursday 11 September 2008 - book now
Living Together
from Monday 15 September 2008 - book now
Round & Round The Garden
from Thursday 18 September 2008 - book now
Three Plays By Alan Ayckbourn
The Old Vic brings Alan Ayckbourn’s comic masterpieces, The Norman
Conquests to the London stage for the first time in 34 years. Matthew
Warchus (Speed-the-Plow, God of Carnage, The Lord of the Rings)
directs an outstanding ensemble cast including Amelia Bullmore, Jessica
Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root.
Especially for this production The Old Vic auditorium will be transformed into
‘The CQS Space’ to recreate the intimate ‘theatre-in-the-round’ space that the
plays were originally written for.
The three interconnecting plays, Round and Round the Garden, Table Manners
and Living Together follow the same six characters, Norman, his in-laws
and the local vet over a summer weekend, in an English country house. Believing
it his mission in life to make women happy by showering them with love, Norman (Stephen
Mangan) makes the most of every opportunity to seduce his sister-in-law
Annie (Jessica Hynes), charm his brother-in-law’s wife Sarah and woo his
wife Ruth (Amelia Bullmore) during this disastrous weekend of squabbling,
eating, drinking and fondling.
Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden are
ingeniously structured to allow each play to be enjoyed independently or as a
trilogy in any combination. Together, they create a fascinating, hilarious
puzzle, which weaves a masterful web of interconnecting secrets and desires.
With his inimitable wit and compassion, Ayckbourn reveals the frustration
and disappointment which bubble beneath the surface of a family’s relationships
and brings to light their thoughts on sex, marriage, love and loneliness.
Choose where to view the action from, the dining room (Table Manners),
the living room (Living Together) or the garden (Round and Round the
Garden)… or of course you can piece together the puzzle from all three…
Alan Ayckbourn is one of Britain’s most popular and prolific playwrights,
with 70 full-length plays to his name, which have been translated into more than
35 languages. These multi-award-winning plays include Absurd Person Singular,
recently revived in the West End plus Just Between Ourselves, A Chorus Of
Disapproval, Woman in Mind and House & Garden to name but a few.
Seating Plan:
Location Map:
