The Norman Conquests
Theatro Technis
7th August 2014

★★★★★

When I think of the fringe, I picture a small theatre pub or back room in the heart of Camden, blistering heat, brand new material and an attempt to push the boundaries with something shocking or just completely abstract. Now, none of that applies to The Norman Conquests, making it a somewhat odd choice to stage as part of the Camden Fringe. But when the quality is this high, does that actually matter?

Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy is made up of three plays: Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden. All are 70 to 85 minutes long, so you can see why the company hasn't chosen to stage them all together every night, as disappointing as that might be. The two that I saw were Table Manners and Living Together, where the action takes place in the dining room and the living room. Although all three plays are linked, none of them are consecutive - you can watch one in isolation, you can watch them in whatever order you like. What I would caveat is that once you see a second (and I imagine this would be the case for a third), you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the plot.

Annie (Lucy Hirst) lives with her mother in the family home, with the day-to-day revolving around which pills to measure out and which colour. One weekend, her brother Reg (Tom Myles) and sister Ruth (Hannah Lawrence) come to visit and lend a hand, together with their respective spouses, Sarah (Katherine Stevens) and (Norman (Simon Dean). Family friend Tom (Philippe Edwards) keeps popping round, but although there is a spark of sorts between Tom and Annie, he's too obtuse to do anything about it, and she's instead planning a dirty weekend in East Grinstead with her brother-in-law Norman. However, this weekend, nothing that should happen does happen - it's just pure chaos.

In Table Manners, we see the family fighting in the dining room, with the second half culminating in a family meal from hell, and some of the funniest scenes. Annie lets slip to Sarah very early on what her intentions with Norman are and, disapproving of this extramarital liaison, Sarah does all she can to stop Norman's fun. He's an unlikely sex symbol - in fact, none of the men are, they're all visions in 70s cord and cardigans thanks to costume designer Sarah Pearson - but Norman seems to get all the girls, he gets all the girls. A lot of humour comes from his refusal to take anything too seriously, and from his overwhelming self-confidence.

Sarah's prim nature and the speed at which she moves from just so to screeching bag of nerves is also a delight. Penelope Keith played the character when the show was first performed in London a few decades ago and Stevens plays Sarah in very much the same vein. Sarah is an unlikely match for husband Reg, whose only interest is in self-made board games, with a traditional "yes-dear-no-dear" relationship evident.

The only way to describe Ruth is jolly hockey sticks. Her obvious - and not misplaced - contempt of husband Norman makes for some hilarious interactions, with the two of them also an unlikely couple. Norman's philandering isn't something that we expect Ruth to put up with; she's a strong woman with her own career and plenty of self-assurance herself. And yet, there's still a flicker of something between the two of them.

Tom's clear stupidity sets up plenty of jokes. The different couples may have little in common and some familial bonds may be at breaking point, such as Ruth and Sarah's not-at-all-concealed dislike of each other, but the one thing everyone agrees on is how dim Tom is. Edwards is a tall, gangly figure of fun, the sheer innocence and lack of intelligence of his character making him impossible not to laugh at and impossible not to like. He's dumb, but endearing with it.

Living Together sees the same plot unfold, but gives us the missing scenes from the lounge. Props which are used or at least mentioned in Table Manners appear here - that infamous rug - and we see more context behind some of the jokes, such as why Tom chose to walk into the dining room and laugh heartily for seemingly no reason. Ayckbourn's plays are tightly-written, and director Jamie Manton follows through with the finer details in the execution.

Walking into Theatro Technis, there's a distinct community hall vibe, but this production is anything but am dram. There's a huge amount of space, allowing Manton the freedom to do what he wants with the three plays, including a stylish use of disco lights and music in between scenes. Sometimes, as the characters sharply move around in the red alternating light, we catch a glimpse of an emotion which we didn't see in the play itself, with the scene changes bringing further plot development as well as style. There's not a single wasted minute.

Ayckbourn is as trad as it gets, and Manton doesn't seek to update any of the plays, instead keeping The Norman Conquests very much a 70s comedy of errors. If that doesn't appeal, go see it anyway - it's so slick and well put together that the production has a universal charm which transcends any target audience. It's a shame that there's only one opportunity to see all three plays on the same day and that the run is so fleeting, because despite any fears or misconceptions, this is a truly flawless production which entertains and showcases a tremendous amount of talent.

Duelling Productions may be a new company, with the cast and creatives either very recent graduates of the University of Exeter, or in fact still enrolled there. Nonetheless, they're as good as some of the more established individuals who have been on the fringe circuit for a few years and in some cases, better. This is certainly a company to watch - we can't wait to see what they bring to London next.

The Norman Conquests ran from 7th to 9th August 2014 at Theatro Technis, as part of the Camden Fringe.

Nearest tube station: Mornington Crescent (Northern)