The Norman Conquests: London's Old Vic's
production to play Broadway in the fall?

The comedy is directed by Matthew Warchus and features Amelia Bullmore (Ruth), Jessica Hynes (Annie), Stephen Mangan (Norman), Paul Ritter (Reg), Ben Miles (Tom) and Amanda Root (Sarah). According to the report the London cast will transfer with the production when it plays Broadway.

The Norman Conquests is a collection of three plays: 'Table Manners,' 'Living Together' and 'Round and Round the Garden.'

The trilogy is structured to allow each play to be enjoyed independently or in any combination. The action of each play takes place simultaneously and follows the same six characters in the same English country house from Saturday evening to Monday morning. Believing it his mission in life to make women happy by showering them with love, Norman makes the most of every opportunity to seduce his sister-in-law Annie, charm his brother-in-law’s wife Sarah and woo his wife Ruth during a disastrous weekend of squabbling, eating, drinking and fondling.

The comedy opened at the Old Vic on 6 Oct 2008, where it is playing a limited engagement through to 20 Dec 2008.

The show opened to excellent reviews from the Press:

"Explosively funny, I was reminded this time of the trilogy's Chekhovian undertow. However much we laugh, the plays actually deal with loneliness, frustration, familial tensions and thwarted lust."
Michael Billington - The Guardian

"Has all the Ayckbourn signatures of clever construction, delightful and frequently surprising comedy, and the exposure of the hidden sadness below the middle class veneer of respectable contentment."
Gerald Berkowitz - The Stage

"Left me physically helpless with hilarity. ...the humour in Ayckbourn is rarely simple, and often dark.
Charles Spencer - The Daily Telegraph

"Gloriously funny, but the desolation that seeps out over the course of the three plays is heart-rending."
Sarah Hemming - Financial Times.

There has been no official confirmation of the production.

If the The Norman Conquests does transfere to Broadway, it will be the second comedy directed by Matthew Warchus to play Broadway in 2009. The Director's production of Yasmina Reza's The God of Carnage it to play Broadway in the Spring. Cast, schedule and theatre still to be announced.