The Norman Conquests: Frequently Asked Questions
Alan Ayckbourn's Archivist Simon Murgatroyd's answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests. If you have a question about this or any other of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, you can contact the website via the Contact Us page.Is there a correct order to see / produce The Norman Conquests trilogy?
No. The plays can be seen or produced in any combination; there is no correct order to seeing The Norman Conquests and no particular advantage in seeing one play before another. It's not even possible to see them chronologically as Round And Round The Garden contains both the earliest of the first scenes and the latest of the final scenes!
Regarding producing the plays and if there is an order in which they should be produced / premiered. Again, there is no correct order (and once the plays are in repertory it barely matters anyway), however traditionally they have tended to be produced in the order of Table Manners, Living Together and Round And Round The Garden - this is largely because this was the order in which the world premiere and London premieres took place, but does not reflect a preferred choice by the playwright.
Do I have to see all three plays?
No. The Norman Conquests were conceived as plays which could be seen individually or in combination of two or three plays. Obviously the experience is richer for seeing all three plays, but each play stands on its own and does not require seeing either of the other plays to enjoy.
Why does Norman choose to take Annie for their 'romantic' weekend to East Grinstead of all places?
It's an in-joke, but one which only Alan Ayckbourn and his wife can appreciate! For the answer to this, I refer you to the playwright's wife (then partner) Heather Stoney. "The actual story of why Alan came up with East Grinstead is that there is a lovely country house hotel just outside said town called Gravetye Manor. We had stayed there and Alan thought it would be lovely if Norman had booked he and Annie into there. The chances of Norman actually doing that are pretty slim but Alan liked the thought as an in-joke. The hotel's address is East Grinstead."
Could the trilogy be performed simultaneously by the same cast on three stages (as with Alan Ayckbourn's later play House & Garden)?
Putting aside the practicalities and logistics of doing such a thing, the answer is sadly no. The major problem is unlike House & Garden, the majority of the scenes are not concurrent (for instance, each of the first scenes is set half-an-hour apart at 5.30pm, 6pm and 6.30pm) as the plays were not conceived to be performed simultaneously.
Generally speaking, scenes which do take place approximately at the same time generally do work together (although not quite as tightly as House & Garden), but there are a couple of instances when the timing is not accurate and it wouldn't be possible to run them together without altering the play (and thus the playwright's intentions). It's an interesting idea but both in theory and practise it would not work without making alterations to the structure of the play and compromising the author's original intent for the play (which was the three plays be produced in repertory with each other, not simultaneously with each other).
The playwright's intentions should also be considered. If he had intended The Norman Conquests to be performed simultaneously, he would have them written that way and produced them as such. Although he briefly considered writing The Norman Conquests as a duology to be performed simultaneously in two auditorium, he made the decision to instead write a trilogy of plays for repertory in the same space. He later revived the idea for a simultaneous duology for House & Garden in 1999.
"You can't run The Norman Conquests simultaneously. Somebody once tried to do all three plays simultaneously and they don't work. The timings are out."
Alan Ayckbourn
Would Alan Ayckbourn ever consider writing a sequel or further parts to The Norman Conquests?
Surprisingly, this is one of the most frequently asked questions regarding The Norman Conquests. The answer is a definite no from the playwright and he has frequently said he does not feel how a fourth part would add anything meaningful to the trilogy nor how the suggestion of a play revealing 'Mother' would add anything to the play; the potency of 'mother' is due entirely to her being off-stage and unseen. In personal correspondence from 2013, Alan himself stated his thought on the subject: "Sadly, I can't write a sequel to The Norman Conquests. If I had wanted to do that, I'd have done it long ago. No, I think the trilogy should exist as it is. Writing a follow-up, even one play, I feel could be regarded as 'cashing in'! Besides I wrote that then and for good or ill, hopefully one moves on as a writer."
How do I obtain the television or radio adaptations of The Norman Conquests?
The 1977 television adaptation of The Norman Conquests starring Tom Conti as Norman is available on DVD in the UK and North America; it is also available to digitally stream in the UK and North America. The 1990 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the trilogy has been released on audio CD and is also available to stream via the likes of iTunes.
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.