Sir Alan Ayckbourn Honored For His Contribution To Theater

Sir Alan Ayckbourn was honored last night at the Society of London Theatre's Olivier Awards with a special award for his lifetime contribution to theatre. The award was presented to him by Kevin Spacey, artistic director of The Old Vic, where Ayckbourn's masterpiece, the comedy trilogy THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, was a sold out smash hit earlier this season.

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, directed by Matthew Warchus begins performances on Broadway on Tuesday, April 7 and opens Thursday, April 23 at Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street).

The first Broadway revival of THE NORMAN CONQUESTS will feature the original heralded company from The Old Vic: Amelia Bullmore (Ruth), Jessica Hynes (Annie), Stephen Mangan (Norman), Ben Miles (Tom), Paul Ritter (Reg) and Amanda Root (Sarah).

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Eric Falkenstein/Jamie DeRoy, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, in association with Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson.

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS comprises three full length plays - Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden - which are ingeniously written to be enjoyed individually or as a trilogy, in any order. The action is simultaneous and each exit in one play turns out to be an entrance in another. The plays will be performed on a rotating schedule during the week and can also be seen in one day on "Trilogy Saturdays".

Set in the dining room (Table Manners), living room (Living Together) and garden (Round and Round the Garden) of an English country house, THE NORMAN CONQUESTS follows six characters - assistant librarian Norman, his wife, in-laws and the local vet - from Saturday night through Monday morning. We watch as desperate lothario Norman (Stephen Mangan) attempts to seduce his sister-in-law Annie (Jessica Hynes), charm his brother-in-law's wife Sarah (Amanda Root) and woo his estranged wife Ruth (Amelia Bullmore), during a disastrously hilarious weekend of eating, drinking and misunderstanding. With his characteristic compassionate humor, Ayckbourn explores the disappointments bubbling beneath the surface as his characters' dreams of love and fulfillment go amiss.

The first London revival of THE NORMAN CONQUESTS ran September 11-December 20, 2008 at The Old Vic and was an instant sell out. For the production, the venerable 200-year-old theatre was converted for an in-the-round staging which will be retained for Circle in the Square's unique configuration.

Reviews for the production were ecstatic. "I came out feeling that it would be right up there on my list of all-time great theatre events," wrote Robert Gore-Langton in the Sunday Telegraph. "You'll laugh. A lot," exclaimed Benedict Nightingale, The Times. "Left me helpless with hilarity," cheered Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph. "Matthew Warchus's production is wonderfully entertaining, fluent and expertly acted. I recommend seeing the whole trilogy. It's heaven in triplicate," raved Paul Taylor in The Independent.

Tickets are on sale through Telecharge at 212-239-6200, at www.telecharge.com and at Circle in the Square Theatre's box office (235 West 50th Street).

To post a comment, you must register and login.