Daily News is a
Rave http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2009/04/24/2009-04-24_the_norman_conquests_conquers_bway_with_laughter.html Unbridled libido makes for uncontrollable laughter in "The Norman Conquests," now back on Broadway for the first time since 1975 in a gold-standard revival.
Alan Ayckbourn's ingenious play consists of three interlaced full-lengths: "Table Manners," "Living Together" and "Round and Round the Garden." The plays, which are running in rep, stand alone or as a trilogy.
The show, direct from London's Old Vic, is a real treat. Not just because of the sheer size, but because Ayckbourn's ability to crack you up is consistently on display - zinger after zinger, scene after scene, play after play.
Much of the success owes to Matthew Warchus ("God of Carnage," "Boeing-Boeing"), a director with a Midas touch for comedy who's steered a wonderful, well-oiled cast from across the pond. The six actors draw you irresistibly into their exploits.
Bergen Record is a
Rave http://www.northjersey.com/entertainment/stage/43605027.html Last Saturday, I had an Alan Ayckbourn immersion. And it was one of the most hilarious days and nights I've ever spent in a theater.
The three full-length plays that make up the British writer's "Norman Conquests" trilogy were presented back-to-back-to-back (with breaks for lunch and dinner).
That meant I was in the Circle in the Square for around seven hours.
I wouldn't have missed a second. My only complaint is that the audience was in such a constant state of merriment that a line sometimes couldn't be heard.
The six-member British cast, which honed its ensemble performance in London, is brilliantly expressive.
All of this has been directed with genius-like imagination and resourcefulness by Matthew Warchus, who also staged the season's other comic highlight, "God of Carnage."
It's possible to see any one of the "Norman Conquests" plays and have a complete, and amusing, theater experience.
But to get the full impact ? and the trilogy's crucial point that perspective greatly influences how we perceive life ? you should see all three.
New York Magazine (in a diary of the marathon day) is a
Rave http://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/56265/ Props to Matthew Warchus, who's got his actors playing everything with absolute conviction and commitment - whether it's an uncomfortably realistic fight between Sarah and Reg or comically spluttering reactions to homemade dandelion wine.
...
Round and Round the Garden just keeps getting better. Is it the last play of the day because it's the funniest? Or is it the funniest because it's the last play of the day? My date, helpless with laughter, cannot answer my whispered query.
As Garden ends, I realize all three plays have already melted in my memory into one delicious theatrical experience?the longueur fading away, the comic high points even funnier in retrospect. Though all of my dates have been suitably entertained, I'm pretty glad I ran the marathon. "I just want to make you happy!" Norman tells his women throughout the trilogy. Bless his ridiculous heart, he did.
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
Updated On: 4/24/09 at 09:53 AM
