#1
Posted: 4/11/09 at 11:31pm
I've had days in the theater that, at only 90 minutes in length, felt longer than the 7 hours I devoted today to THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, Matthew Warchus' quietly boisterous production of Alan Ayckbourn's epic saga of one terrible weekend.
As acted by the terrific ensemble of Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root, all of whom reprise their roles from last fall's production at London's Old Vic, this weekend is both hilarious and sad. Warchus has expertly guided the group through the traditionally bipolar waters of Ayckbourn with remarkably well-balanced results (with a few pacing problems here and there, to be ironed out, I'm sure).
Poor Annie (Hynes). All she wants to do is go away for the weekend with Norman (Mangan), her brother-in-law, with whom she had relations last Christmas on the living room rug. So she enlists her brother Reg (Ritter) and his wife Sarah (Root) to watch the house, keep an eye on sickly mother upstairs and Tom (Miles), Annie's meek, unsuspecting fiancee. When Norman's wife Ruth (Bullmore) finds out, all bets are off and by the end of the weekend, Norman has taken everyone, sans Tom, as a conquest.
To see all three in a row has its pluses and minuses. By the end of Part 3, "Round and Round the Garden," you've nearly forgotten all that's been alluded to in Part 1, "Table Manners." A plus, in Part 2, "Living Together," almost all the humor stems from that which occurred in Part 1. If you see these out of order, in that respect, you'll have no idea why Reg picking up the trashcan is so rib-tickling. So therefore, while the plays do indeed stand alone, it is best to see all three, in the order of "Table Manners," "Living Together," and "Round and Round the Garden," though that one starts the earliest and ends the latest.
There isn't a weak link in the 6-member ensemble. Mangan's Norman is as lovable a loser as you can find. Rush and Miles are perfectly pathetic and are heartbreaking in their conversations where no dialogue is uttered. Root and Bullmore) counterpoint one another in shrewishness (and to watch Bullmore try to unfold a chaise lounge is priceless...well, there are a lot of priceless moments). But it is Ritter's Reg who steals the show from everyone and, in my opinion, is the rightful owner of the 2009 Tony statuette for Best Featured Actor.
The design (sets, costumes by Rob Howell; lighting by David Howe; music by Gary Yershon; sound by Simon Baker for Autograph) is lovely. With the show performed in the round, there are no bad seats anywhere. I sat in the 400s for parts 1 and 2 and in the 100s for Part 3. The 400s is where the stage would normally sit in the Circle's 3/4 round ground plan. The 100s force proscenium on the piece. The 400s are closer to the stage than the 100s, though the 100s are not nor nearly as far away as the farthest seats at the Old Vic.
After more than 11 hours (that counts lunch and dinner breaks), the cast got a well-deserved standing ovation. Even Michael Riedel begrudgingly took part after he put his jacket on. But I did notice him laugh and smile. More than once.
As acted by the terrific ensemble of Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root, all of whom reprise their roles from last fall's production at London's Old Vic, this weekend is both hilarious and sad. Warchus has expertly guided the group through the traditionally bipolar waters of Ayckbourn with remarkably well-balanced results (with a few pacing problems here and there, to be ironed out, I'm sure).
Poor Annie (Hynes). All she wants to do is go away for the weekend with Norman (Mangan), her brother-in-law, with whom she had relations last Christmas on the living room rug. So she enlists her brother Reg (Ritter) and his wife Sarah (Root) to watch the house, keep an eye on sickly mother upstairs and Tom (Miles), Annie's meek, unsuspecting fiancee. When Norman's wife Ruth (Bullmore) finds out, all bets are off and by the end of the weekend, Norman has taken everyone, sans Tom, as a conquest.
To see all three in a row has its pluses and minuses. By the end of Part 3, "Round and Round the Garden," you've nearly forgotten all that's been alluded to in Part 1, "Table Manners." A plus, in Part 2, "Living Together," almost all the humor stems from that which occurred in Part 1. If you see these out of order, in that respect, you'll have no idea why Reg picking up the trashcan is so rib-tickling. So therefore, while the plays do indeed stand alone, it is best to see all three, in the order of "Table Manners," "Living Together," and "Round and Round the Garden," though that one starts the earliest and ends the latest.
There isn't a weak link in the 6-member ensemble. Mangan's Norman is as lovable a loser as you can find. Rush and Miles are perfectly pathetic and are heartbreaking in their conversations where no dialogue is uttered. Root and Bullmore) counterpoint one another in shrewishness (and to watch Bullmore try to unfold a chaise lounge is priceless...well, there are a lot of priceless moments). But it is Ritter's Reg who steals the show from everyone and, in my opinion, is the rightful owner of the 2009 Tony statuette for Best Featured Actor.
The design (sets, costumes by Rob Howell; lighting by David Howe; music by Gary Yershon; sound by Simon Baker for Autograph) is lovely. With the show performed in the round, there are no bad seats anywhere. I sat in the 400s for parts 1 and 2 and in the 100s for Part 3. The 400s is where the stage would normally sit in the Circle's 3/4 round ground plan. The 100s force proscenium on the piece. The 400s are closer to the stage than the 100s, though the 100s are not nor nearly as far away as the farthest seats at the Old Vic.
After more than 11 hours (that counts lunch and dinner breaks), the cast got a well-deserved standing ovation. Even Michael Riedel begrudgingly took part after he put his jacket on. But I did notice him laugh and smile. More than once.
Updated On: 4/11/09 at 11:31 PM
