Living Together

Living Together

The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn at The Old Vic Theatre consists of three plays which will play in repertory: Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden. The Old Vic's auditorium will be transformed to create an 'in-the-round' performance space. This has been made possible with support from CQS, the global alternative asset management group, and the Hintze Family Charitable Foundation. CQS is headed by Michael Hintze who, with his wife Dorothy, is a significant cultural philanthropist and major supporter of the arts.

LIVING TOGETHER
The events of one weekend as seen from the Sitting Room. In which Reg is driven mad by Tom... Tom tells Annie a thing or two... Annie nearly comes to blows with Sarah... Sarah sees a different side of Norman... Norman sorts things out with Ruth... Ruth discovers the charms of a fireside rug... and in which nobody enjoys playing board games...

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS
The Old Vic brings Alan Ayckbourn's comic masterpieces, The Norman Conquests to the London stage for the first time in 34 years. Matthew Warchus (Speed-the-Plow, God of Carnage, The Lord of the Rings) directs an outstanding ensemble cast: Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root. Especially for this production The Old Vic auditorium will be transformed into 'The CQS Space' to recreate the intimate 'theatre-in-the-round' experience that the plays were originally written for.

The interconnecting triptych of plays, Round and Round the Garden, Table Manners and Living Together follow the same six characters, Norman, his in-laws and the local vet over a summer weekend, in an English Country house.

Believing it his mission in life to make women happy by showering them with love, Norman (Stephen Mangan) makes the most of every opportunity to seduce his sister-in-law, Annie (Jessica Hynes), charms his brother-in-law's wife, Sarah and woo his wife Ruth (Amelia Bullmore) during this disastrous weekend of squabbling, eating, drinking and fondling.

Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden are ingeniously structured to allow each play to be enjoyed independently or as a trilogy in any combination. Together they create a fascinating, hilarious puzzle, which weaves a masterful web of interconnecting secrets and desires. With his inimitable wit and compassion, Ayckbourn reveals the frustration and disappointments which bubble beneath the surface of a family's relationships and brings to light their thoughts on sex, marriage, love and loneliness.

Alan Ayckbourn is one of Britains's most popular and prolific playwrights, with 70 full-length plays to his name, which have been translated into more than 35 languages. These multi-award winning names include Absurd Person Singular, recently revived in the West End plus Just Between Ourselves, A Chorus of Disapproval, Woman in Mind and House & Garden to name but a few.