The Norman Conquests - Theatre round up of 2008
"The Most Unforgettable Performances of 2008
Amidst a thespian sextet as close as one comes to perfection, Hynes's lovesick Annie impressed with the sort of unforced naturalness that simply can't be learned; such gifts are as instinctual as they are rare, and Hynes was amazing, whether communicating in a single stroke years of an aggrieved relationship with her (unseen) mother or reaching across a seemingly impassable divide to communicate to her beloved if emotionally clotted Tom (Ben Miles). One is tempted to urge Hynes to start exploring the Chekhov canon, except that by so illuminating The Norman Conquests in all its Chekhovian affect, one could argue that she already has.
" - Matt Wolf
From london.broadway.com - December 30, 2008
"2008 Best Shows of the Year
The Norman Conquests
A splendid year for the Old Vic was capped by my production of the year, which was actually a trio of productions if one counts Alan Ayckbourn's 1974 triptych, under the masterful direction of Matthew Warchus, as three separate shows. In the event, it was hard to separate out any one part of The Norman Conquests from its alternately biliously funny-and unabashedly bilious-whole, no matter in which order one saw Round and Round the Garden, Living Together and the ironically titled Table Manners, the last of which features one of the great dinner table scenes in a year full of them (consider by way of comparison The Family Reunion and August: Osage County, just for starters). This was exactly the sort of production one was sorry to see go, which is why news of its potential reemergence next fall on Broadway gives at least one cause for hope in the undoubtedly grim times ahead. " - Matt Wolf
From london.broadway.com - December 30
"The hair did it.
Did what, you might well ask, and what could someone's locks possibly have to do with a wrap-up of the London
theatre year just gone? But as I reflect on the highs - and, as is inevitable, a few of the lows - of the
capital's stage offerings during 2008, one image more than all others recurs: that of Jessica Stevenson Hynes
brushing her unruly blond locks back from her face in the superlative Old Vic revival of The Norman Conquests.
The gesture - unforced, entirely natural, and increasingly poignant as the cycle of three plays unfolded - allowed
one of many ways into a Matthew Warchus production that gave off the quality of eavesdropping on good if sometimes
fractious friends. One felt for Stephen Mangan's surpassingly amiable sheepdog of a Norman - those baleful eyes! -
even as sympathies extended to the various women whom he spoke so enthusiastically of wanting to please. The resulting
intimacy marked out author Alan Ayckbourn more than ever as the Chekhov of Britain's disputatious marrying middle class,
with enough Strindberg thrown into the mix to ensure that the ensuing comedy also carried a sting: this is one staging
whose putative trans Atlantic crossing simply cannot happen soon enough."
"Theatre in 2008: Fun and games with the English Chekhov
My corker of the year would have to be The Norman Conquests trilogy, which opened at London's Old Vic in the autumn - a stroke of genius on the part of artistic director Kevin Spacey.
The revival of Alan Ayckbourn's legendary triptych was a buzz-creating, all-day event which proved to be cryingly funny: not just a farce about middle-class couples and adultery in the 1970s but also a startlingly poignant portrait of mid-life unhappiness. Matthew Warchus's whole cast ought to be given an Exquisite Ensemble Award. Besides helping to revive the sexagenarian playwright's reputation and reminding you why he was hailed as an English Chekhov, The Norman Conquests saw Spacey's playhouse turned into a compelling theatre in the round. The conversion was so successful that it's being retained into 2009.
" - Kate Bassett
From independent.co.uk - Sunday, 28 December 2008
"Two of the best productions of the year have played there. David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow featured a great comedy double act, Spacey and Jeff Goldblum, while the ensemble cast chosen to work in the round in Matthew Warchus' revival of The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn played their part in ensuring that the eleven hours including intervals were amongst the most enjoyable of the year." Paul Taylor
From britishtheatreguide.info - 28th December, 2008
"Revivals boosted British stage in '08
There's good news, too, about the year's other great revival. Sonia Friedman recently returned from New York and "very positive" meetings about a Gotham transfer for Matthew Warchus' resplendent production of Alan Ayckbourn's masterpiece trilogy, "The Norman Conquests" at the Old Vic.
As "Boeing-Boeing" proved, Warchus has a supreme talent for comic precision. What his production of Ayckbourn's three plays set over one weekend showed was his gift for poignancy. As achingly touching as they were laugh-out-loud hilarious, the three intertwined plays felt like "Uncle Vanya in Suburbia." Ayckbourn was revealed as not just a master craftsman -- watching all three is as mindblowing as watching three simultaneous chess games played in 3-D -- but also as a writer as wise, sad and unjudgmental as Chekhov.
All six actors couldn't be better -- and all are attached if the proposed transfer goes ahead. Invidious though it is to single anyone out, Paul Ritter was devastatingly funny and sad, dancing from foot to foot as Reg, the hen-pecked husband on a rolling boil of suppressed rage and disappointment."
- David Benedict
From Variety.com