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THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews

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EugLoven
#1THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/7/09 at 3:26pm

Howdy

I'm attending NORMAN CONQUESTS (Round and Round the Garden) tonight, and Table Manners tomorrow... and will see Living Together soon.

QUESTION: For those who have read or seen the show (London, etc), can you REALLY see them in any order? The trilogy is being billed as stand-alone plays (and can be seen in any sequence). Any learned input appreciated.
Updated On: 4/8/09 at 03:26 PM

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TimesSquareRegular
#2re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 4:50pm

Each play can indeed stand on its own. Having said that, I recently bought the 3-DVD set from the U.K. of the production from the 70's starring Tom Conti, and they are listed in this order:

TABLE MANNERS
LIVING TOGETHER
ROUND AND ROUND THE GARDEN


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being.jeremiah
#2re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 5:22pm

The trilogy days start with Table Manners, then Living Together, and finally Round and Round the Garden. A good recommendation, no?

I guess that's a good way to go about, if one really needs to follow what's "best" in order.

And that's how I plan on seeing The Norman Conquests.

Yankeefan007
#3re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 5:23pm

Strange to me that they wouldn't do the plays "in order" during the week.

That said, the plays are just like Ayckbourn's HOUSE & GARDEN. In that duo-play, HOUSE took plays in the house; GARDEN took place in the garden. Actors would exit one play and enter the other (it helps that they were performed at Stages 1 & 2 of MTC's City Center location.

You don't miss anything by seeing one or the other or the other; if you see all three, you get the variety of perspectives. NORMAN CONQUESTS happens to take place over the course of a weekend in three different rooms. The actors exit in one room in one scene in one play and enter the next room in the same scene in the other play. Updated On: 4/7/09 at 05:23 PM

being.jeremiah
#4re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 5:24pm

^ Agree.

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EugLoven
#5re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 5:48pm

Greatly appreciated, YankeeFan and Being.Jeremiah!

In an ideal world, I'd love to see them 1-2-3. But I'm seeing them 3-1-2. But can't complain, really. I'm a smart cookie... I think I'll be able to put the pieces together :)

Interestingly, the online ticket schedule doesn't make it easy for you (aside from the marathon days). The performance schedule isn't in-rep, per-se.

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Smaxie
#6re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/7/09 at 5:54pm

It is fine to see Round and Round the Garden first - part of the reason some say to avoid seeing it first is that it features the scene that ends the latest in the play's timeline, so if any play wraps up the action, it's Round and Round the Garden. But it's a great blend of anarchy and melancholy, the Ayckbourn trademarks, as far as I'm concerned.


Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

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EugLoven
#7re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 12:14am

THOUGHTS FOLLOWING ROUND AND ROUND THE GARDEN

- As mentioned earlier in the thread, the action of the 3 plays encompasses 1 weekend... and they CAN be seen in any sequence because each play stands on it's own.

PLAYBILL lists the action as following:
Table Manners
The action takes place in the dining room of a Victorian house in England during a weekend in July
Act 1, Scene 1: Saturday, 6pm
Act 1, Scene 2: Sunday, 9am
Act 2, Scene 1: Sunday, 8pm
Act 2, Scene 2: Monday, 8am

Living Together
The action takes place in the sitting room of a Victorian house in England during a weekend in July
Act 1, Scene 1: Saturday, 6:30pm
Act 1, Scene 2: Saturday, 8pm
Act 2, Scene 1: Sunday, 9pm
Act 2, Scene 2: Monday, 8am

Round and Round the Garden
The action takes place in the garden of a Victorian house in England during a weekend in July
Act 1, Scene 1: Saturday, 5:30pm
Act 1, Scene 2: Saturday, 9pm
Act 2, Scene 1: Sunday, 11am
Act 2, Scene 2: Monday, 9am

- Kevin Spacey (Old Vic Artistic Director) was in the house (10 seats from me)

- Nick Spangler ("Amazing Race" Winner, The Fantasticks) sat directly beside me... and may I say one helluva good theatre-participant! It's hard not to have a good time at this show, but it's even more enjoyable if yourself and your neighbors are riding the same waves.

- Circle in the Square is indeed a CIRCLE in the square (as opposed to the horseshoes of Glory Days and Bee) which makes for TRULY no bad-seat in the house

- Theatre was almost entirely filled with industry people and comps. I'd be surprised if anyone even paid full-price... But this may be the BEST thing to do for this production. The first 3 shows are mostly papered and comped, making the house at nearly 100% and The Power of Word of Mouth in the hands of those with "mouths" (if you know what I mean)

- EXCELLENTLY performed. Really not a bad seed in the bunch. It makes perfect sense to me now for First Preview to have been Round and Round the Garden (while "unofficially" the 3rd part of the play series)... It seems to be the most promising and funniest of the 3 (though I haven't yet seen Parts 1 and 2) because it feels the most "open-and-shut"... And just damn funny. REALLY funny.

- Functional set piece (circular stage, in the backyard/garden) with a cool "miniature village" hovering over the action. Simple lighting and costumes but perfectly affective.

- VERY British humor, but fortunately, also very universal. Take the impossibility of opening a lawn-chair and extend the scene to 5 minutes and it's LAUGH RIOT!

- This is going to be a hit amongst 3 groups: The theatre "elite" (stuffy rich Upper East Siders who pay full price for everything but are the backbone of Broadway financial support AND cultural taste)... The well-read (either those with a fondness for British humor, familiar with Ayckbourn's style and wit, and perhaps fans of "Are You Being Served?") and the open-minded (curious tourists, ad execs, and Tisch and Pace kids who want to feel well-rounded and will be pleasantly surprised).

- Amelia Bullmore was SEX as Ruth (maybe I just loved her prose and hair). Jessica Hynes is so interesting as Annie (eager to learn what she's hiding). Stephen Mangan is hilarious as Norman (but damn, I'd have a nervous breakdown if I spent a weekend with him). Ben Miles as Tom is just so endearing and SO FUNNY in the final scene! Paul Ritter is swell but high-strung as Paul (couldn't decide if he was playing closet-case of whipped-husband). Amanda Root as Sarah is also engaging... reminds me just how much of a "flip-flop" these characters ALL do during the course of the show.

- CAN'T WAIT for the other 2 shows.
Updated On: 4/8/09 at 12:14 AM

Yankeefan007
#8re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 12:21am

Thanks for posting. Not surprised Spacey was there; he is the Old Vic's AD, after all. I'm sure he was instrumental in bringing it over and, having seen him on nearly every talk show in the past few days, it seems like he's doing publicity for it, too.

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Yero my Hero
#9re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 1:13am

I recently bought the 3-DVD set from the U.K. of the production from the 70's starring Tom Conti

Where is that available?? I couldn't find it on Amazon. I thought it didn't exist!


Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters. ~ Wicked
Everything in life is only for now. ~ Avenue Q
There is no future, there is no past. I live this moment as my last. ~ Rent

"He's a tramp, but I love him."

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WiCkEDrOcKS
#10re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 2:04am

Maybe I will go see them after all...I can't decide.

Thanks for posting, Eug!

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Smaxie
#11re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 6:03am

>It seems to be the most promising and funniest of the 3 (though I haven't yet seen Parts 1 and 2)<

All three of the plays are funny, but Table Manners generally holds the reputation as the funniest of the three.


Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

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singtopher
#12re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 7:28am

I was there too, Eug. I think you really nailed it on the head. I did feel that the second act draged a bit at points. It also didn't help that I had just come from work and was exhausted, so I lost focus a lot. What I did catch was quite good.


"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert

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Smaxie
#13re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 8:31am

I think what you are saying "dragged" about the second act is part of the overall arc of the plays. They aren't all comic hijinks. Alternating with the comic set-pieces are moments of quiet loneliness, sadness and desperation of the characters, which has given Ayckbourn the label of England's Chekhov. Those moments elevate the plays from just sitcom territory. Tom's awkward proposal to Annie near the end of Act Two, for example, is funny but almost unbearably sad. Or the really brilliantly written scene between Ruth and Tom at the top of Act Two, which here, I think, is a model of writing, performance and direction.


Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

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Salene
#14re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 9:04am

I recently bought the 3-DVD set from the U.K. of the production from the 70's starring Tom Conti

Where is that available??


Here, if you can play R2 DVDs:
http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/157747/The-Norman-Conquests/Product.html

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CyCoSpAz2
#15re: NORMAN CONQUESTS (Questions & Reviews)
Posted: 4/8/09 at 11:51am

I was there last night and thought the play was hilarious. There is not a weak link in the cast and the audience was totally into it.

I went in with tickets to just one, and now will be going back to see the next two, so for anyone who is skeptical, pick up tickets for just one, see how you like it, and judge the next two from there.

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EugLoven
#16re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/8/09 at 11:53pm

THOUGHTS FOLLOWING TABLE MANNERS

- My gawd, this is proving to be one of the most entertaining audience-investments in live-theatre I've made! I need to emphasize just how much FUN it is to be witnessing 6 actors perform in the round 3 entirely-separate and yet entirely-interconnected plays! Just when you've thought you've learnt all you can about a character, another window is opened. One thing leads to another, and the absolute JOY as an audience member going along with it... BLISS

- I am just dumb-founded with how Alan Ayckbourn WROTE these plays. To have such structurally-sound scripts as they stand alone, but to have over-lapping action in the OTHER scripts that compliment the OTHER script! I'd be interested in learning the actual process in which he put it together.

- The element of dramatic irony (knowing something the characters don't know) is so wickedly exciting. If you've had the privilege of seeing one part of the show, you take that knowledge with you into another show. ("Oh, I know what's going on in the garden while so-and-so are fighting in the dining room!")

- It might sound silly, but I can't help feeling PROUD of this ensemble. They are so well-acted, so polished, so profoundly hilarious and naturalistic... and taking on such funny but complicated roles! How they do it each night is baffling. THIS IS WHY the Tony Awards needs a Best Ensemble trophy! Much like The 39 Steps we know the play and/or actors aren't going to be going home with prizes against individual performers in other "more American" or "more explosive" new plays.

- GEEZUS! I mean seriously, these actors! Jessica Hynes as Annie is utterly superb. A master at subtlety (even her eyes can smile and frown!). Paul Ritter as Tom is just so damn endearing and pathetic and adorable and incredible! My gawd, one minute I wanted to cradle his face, the other I wanted to whap him in the head! We learn so much more about Reg (Paul Ritter) and Sarah (Amanda Root)! Geezus some of the facial expressions Root gives and her effort to be civil! I can't get over how sexy and lion-like Amelia Bullmore (Ruth) can be... each of these actors really... coy, demure, calculated, aggressive, explosive, loving, vulnerable... THE WHOLE CANNON of emotions demonstrated each evening.

- It's so refreshing to see a play that's simply about people. No one is being beheaded. No one is addicted to pills. Or sex scandal. Or dead kids. Just 3 couples in a house on a weekend is as complicated as it needs to be! And Ayckbourn is a GENIUS at making "the simple" into madness. Basic tasks like dressing a table or unfolding a lawn-chair can become laugh-riots. Incredible.

- Table Manners gives the best structure in terms of understanding why the characters are where and how each is related. Also gave much more insight to their personalities. Round and Round the Garden is of course more conclusive and provides further fuel for the fire and surprise twists.

- There is a 7th character to these shows... The Audience. Being in-the-round creates a completely communal experience, almost as if we're in the house with them. You ride waves together. Plus (if I may) it gives you a phenomenal experience to cruise the hot guys sitting across the way. SO MANY cuties at the show tonight.

- Note: If you're sitting front-row during Table Manners be warned you may get soup or a tin of crackers flying your way.

- Unfortunately I am unable to attend tomorrow's Living Together but can't wait to see it soon.

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bestinshow2
#17re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 1:35am

Great to hear you're having so much fun at TNC, Eug! I saw all parts in London and Living Together was actually my favourite; there is a sequence in it where Tom (Ben Miles) made me laugh so hard, I cried.


"My name's Lenny. What's yours?"

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CyCoSpAz2
#18re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 3:50am

It was really amusing sitting down at the show tonight and seeing some of the same people in the audience. It may sound corny, but going back night after night makes you feel connected with the audience. Norman got some entrance applause, which were most likely from those of us who had seen Round and Round the Garden the day before. Being in the audience itself, especially with the theatre round, is such a great experience. Sometimes someone in the audience will go on an extended bout of laughter and the entire audience will just laugh at the person laughing.

I can't even begin to describe how much I am enjoying these plays... I wish my third part wasn't coming up tomorrow, I would gladly go back to the Circle in the Square every day just to watch this story continue to unfold.

The buzz I hear from the audience is overwhelmingly positive. I hear so many "I loved it!"s and "I have never laughed so hard!"s going up the escalator after the show.

As Eugene said, EVERYBODY in this cast is absolutely stellar. Amelia Bullmore (Ruth) has you in the palm of her hand from her very entrance. Jessica Hynes (Annie) is brilliant, that woman could tell an entire play just with her facial expressions. And the rest are just so much fun to watch.

The show absolutely flies by... the first two were about 2 hours each (+ a 20 minute intermission).

Also, not sure if it was in the script or not, but at the end of Act I Scene I, Jessica Hynes was hysterically laughing at Norman who was singing off-stage. Her face was bright red and that caused the rest of the players at the table to start laughing.

Anyway, to anyone who is not planning on going to see this show, get tickets for one, and you will most likely find yourself going back for more.

jagfkb
#19re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 8:28am

From the two, was there a clear favorite? I'm only able to see one, sadly...

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Smaxie
#20re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 8:50am

>Also, not sure if it was in the script or not, but at the end of Act I Scene I, Jessica Hynes was hysterically laughing at Norman who was singing off-stage. Her face was bright red and that caused the rest of the players at the table to start laughing.<

Annie, Reg and Tom are scripted to start laughing at Norman's offstage singing at that moment. Sarah, the control freak, has tried to get them to eat dinner quietly and in a civilized manner, but despite their efforts, Annie, Reg and Tom cannot stifle their laughter as Norman is getting progressively more drunk and boisterous in the living room (and in Living Together, for that matter). It's a really nice real-life moment, I think.


Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

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CyCoSpAz2
#21re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 10:12am

"From the two, was there a clear favorite? I'm only able to see one, sadly..."

There is definitely not a 'clear' favorite, but if you had to choose one out of Round and Round the Garden and Table Manners I would go with... gosh I can't even pick out which one I enjoyed more, they were both incredible. Are you sure you can't see all of them? :P

And thanks for clearing that up Smaxie. Just adds a level to Jessica Hynes's brilliance in this role in my book!

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Calvin
#22re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 10:59am

I'm so excited to see this. re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews I'll be seeing all three over the course of the next few days. The all-day marathon was a bit too much, but I will be seeing two on Saturday (my first 11 a.m. Broadway show ever, I think).

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WhizzerMarvin
#23re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 11:18am

I'm seeing these Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and can't wait!


Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco. Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!

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Insider2
#24re: THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Info & Reviews
Posted: 4/9/09 at 12:25pm

I found all of Table Manners incredibly annoying, like watching a very dated British sit-com. The actors are fantastic, but the play is yawn-inducing. I guess if you like old British sit-coms, this may be your cup of tea. If not, I'd say skip it.