"Round and Round the Garden"

August 17, 2017 — "Round and Round the Garden" is the last of a trilogy of plays called "The Norman Conquests" by prolific British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The Norman of Ayckbourn's comedies is Norman Dewers whose attempted conquests are Sarah, the wife of his brother, Reg, and Annie, a spinster left with the care of her invalid, but tyrannical, mother who is never seen. The other two plays in the trilogy are "Table Manners," which I saw in 2015, and "Living Together," which I missed. However, any one of the plays can be enjoyed by itself. All three feature the same six characters.

The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampshire has staged all three plays. "Round and Round the Garden," directed for the "Winni" by Neil Pankhurst, played to a very sparse, but enthusiastic audience in a Thursday matinee. Meredith Brown's reproduction of an English garden was a stunning example of the set designer's art. It featured a floral wall, green lawn, portion of a brick building and a view of the sky that could change from daytime blue to starry night.

Nicholas Wilder returns for another over-the-top performance as Norman. Shanel Sparr appears as the unattached Annie. Jason Plourde, a native of Maine, is the perfect Englishman in his role as the awkward, socially inept Tom, who is infatuated by Annie but incapable of expressing his feelings. Richard Brundage is the well-meaning but somewhat bumbling Reg. Molly Parker Myers is Reg's wife, Sarah, straight-laced, overbearing, but needy. Suzanne Kimball is Ruth, Norman's wife, who is well aware of his philandering, but resigned to it. All the actors appeared in the same roles in "Table Manners" except Shanel Sparr, new to the Winni this season.

Ayckbourn to date has written 82 plays which have been translated into over 35 languages, performed on stage and TV all over the world, and have won many awards. I've seen several of his plays, and like "Round and Round the Garden," all feature witty dialog, often hilarious situations, and consistently high quality. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any Ayckbourn play.