Any time of year would be appropriate for a comedy by renowned British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, but the winter holiday season may be the best. Around the holidays, theatergoers are looking for lighthearted entertainment -- something fun and funny and Ayckbourn can always deliver.
In The Norman Conquests, written in 1973, Ayckbourn tackles the thorny relationships between spouses and also between adult siblings. The setting is a countryside mansion outside of London. It is the childhood home of two of the play's six characters. One of the characters still lives there with her invalid mother.
Although the family manages to avoid each other for most of the year (except at Christmas), they unexpectedly come together for a reunion.
It would be impossible to relate all the plot details that occur during nearly seven hours (the play is presented in three separate productions, each slightly more than two hours long). It is safe to assume that only the most dedicated theatergoers will see all three shows. But one production should be enough to capture the mood and flavor of Ayckbourn's craft. The three plays are presented in rotating repertory, so that one can see them over a period of several days, if so desired. For a company that calls itself the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, it's appropriate for it to produce an actual repertory of plays. In The Norman Conquests, they succeed in every respect.
The characters aren't as fully fleshed out as one would hope; given the amount of time the audience spends with them. Ayckbourn's most well-rounded character is Annie (Finnerty Steeves). Steeves convincingly portray Annie's inner turmoil. Annie is by turns fragile and fierce, elated and disheartened. Her moods rise and fall with each plot twist. Steeves earns the audience's sympathy without milking her situation. As Annie, she is providing full-time care for an aging parent (who is discussed but never seen). Within her limited social circle, her only suitors are Tom, a dim-witted veterinarian who lives nearby (played by Lee Ernst), and Norman (Gerard Neugent), who is married to Annie's sister. The genius of the play is that Norman is the most unlikely person to be a self-described "female magnet." He is a timid librarian by day and a Lothario any time he sees the opportunity. He is easily the most animated person in the group. Thanks to the skill of actor Gerard Neugent, Norman is also a master imitator of Louis Armstrong. Gerard's dead-on impression of Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World" is among the show's many highlights.
As Tom, Ernst's humor is mainly unintended. Not so for the rascally Reg (Torrey Hanson), who delivers some pointed digs at his relatives. He is not alone in this respect; both Ruth, Annie's sister (Deborah Staples) and Sarah, Reg's wife (Laura Gordon), are equipped with barbs of their own. It is Ayckbourn's deliciously dry humor that often triumphs over the mundane activities presented onstage.
These couples have been together long enough so that this is marriage with the gloves off. They don't mince words about their mutual contempt for each other's spouse, and sometimes, for a sibling, as well.
Ruth, poor thing, is a universally despised businesswoman. Actor Deborah Staples, as Ruth, is deliciously brittle and uncaring. One would hope that no-nonsense Sarah would be immune to Norman's charm. However, this is not to be. Laura's good-hearted if boorish husband, Reg, may not be the most romantic of men. But Reg (Torrey Hanson) is completely transparent about being nagged by Sarah. He acknowledges that he misses the "attention" when she is away. Of them all, it is perhaps Reg who has come to terms with the advantages and disadvantages of marriage.
Artistic director Joseph Hanreddy succeeds at the task of keeping the characters consistent throughout the three productions. He is also terrific at setting up the plays' comic timing. Hanreddy's efforts are assisted by the intriguingly rendered sets, which highlight the home's dining room, living room and garden. The complex lighting requirements are nicely handled by designer Thomas Hase, who takes each production from mid-day to evening and then to the next morning. The Norman Conquests offers a lot of enjoyment, and that's the main requirement for holiday entertainment.
