Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests Headed for Broadway
The first Broadway revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s comic trilogy of plays, The Norman Conquests, will premiere on Broadway this spring. Directly following its sold-out run in London, the production—the latest success for The Old Vic Theatre Company under the artistic leadership of Kevin Spacey—starts previews on April 7 at Circle in the Square Theatre, with opening night set for April 23. The show will run for 16 weeks only, directed by Tony Award-nominee Matthew Warchus.
The Norman Conquests opened last year on September 11 and ran through December 20, 2008 at the Old Vic. The production converted the venerable 200-year-old theater for an in-the-round staging, and starred Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root—all of whom will reprise their performances at Circle in the Square, a venue that will also accommodate the original in-the-round staging.
The Norman Conquests consists of three full-length plays—Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden—which were designed to be enjoyed individually or as a trilogy, in any order. The plays will be performed on a rotating schedule during the week and can also be seen in one day on “Trilogy Saturdays.” The plays were originally presented on Broadway in 1975 with a cast that included Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Ken Howard, Barry Nelson and current Broadway stars Estelle Parsons August: Osage County and Carole Shelley Billy Elliot.
Set in a dining room, living room and garden of an English country house, the action is simultaneous, with each exit in one play turning out to be an entrance in another, as the stories follow six characters: Desperate lothario Norman Mangan attempts to seduce his sister-in-law Annie Hynes, charm his brother-in-law’s wife Sarah Root and woo his estranged wife Ruth Bullmore, during a disastrously hilarious weekend of eating, drinking and misunderstanding.
The Norman Conquests is designed by Rob Howell, with lighting by David Howe, music by Gary Yershon and sound by Simon Baker for Autograph.
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, 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.
