Conquering The Norman Conquests

The Norman Conquests, a playful mad romp through one wild weekend with Norman, is in high production at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town San Diego and continues through November 7. Uniquely wonderful, it’s a trilogy of full-length plays, each one telling the same hilarious story from a different location and vantage point in the country house. It’s written by the prodigious English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, who speedily turns out quirky vehicles that delight and sometimes startle audiences. See these madcap plays on different nights, or make a day of it and schedule all three on a Saturday — noon for Round and Round the Garden, Living Together (viewed from the sitting room) at 4pm, and finally Table Manners at 8pm. By the end of the day, your body may ache from laughing so much. The Norman Conquests was recently revived on Broadway to great acclaim. The Globe Theatre mounted a deliriously happy production of it in 1979. It was directed by San Diego’s beloved Craig Noel, who had such a deft touch with this kind of material. He would have loved this show at Cygnet, directed by the gifted Sean Murray and Francis Gercke. (619/337-1525, www.cygnettheatre.com)   DARLENE G. DAVIES