Publisher Description
Six plays from the Olivier, Tony, and Molière Award–winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn: The legendary Norman Conquests trilogy; a brand new recording of his play Henceforward…, starring Mad Men’s Jarred Harris alongside Anne Heche; Just between Ourselves, starring Alfred Molina; and a remaster of L.A. Theatre Works’ recording of Man of the Moment.
Ayckbourn’s celebrated Norman Conquests trilogy consists of three hilarious and poignant plays depicting the same six characters in one house over one weekend, namely Norman and his romantic follies.
Table Manners (The Norman Conquests, Part 1): England’s famous seducer of other men’s wives lays siege to his sister-in-law in the first “battle.” A middle-class family trying to have a pleasant country weekend is no match for Norman, who horrifies everyone by doing exactly as he likes.
Living Together (The Norman Conquests, Part 2): In the second “battle,” Norman gets drunk on homemade wine—and all hell breaks loose. He unleashes his merry brand of manipulative charm on the hapless guests, and even his most formidable opponents go down in defeat on the drawing room rug.
Round and Round the Garden (The Norman Conquests, Part 3): In the third “battle,” the setting is Mother’s overgrown English garden, where something more troublesome than brambles lurks among the roses. Havoc ensues as this satirical masterpiece makes its way to a hilarious conclusion. Cast: Rosalind Ayres as Sarah, Kenneth Danziger as Reg, Martin Jarvis as Norman, Jane Leeves as Annie, Christopher Neame as Tom, and Carolyn Seymour as Ruth. Directed by Dennis Erdman.
Just between Ourselves: Starring Alfred Molina, this first of Ayckbourn’s darkly comic masterpieces involves a relentlessly cheerful handyman in a disastrously fractured marriage. Two couples develop an unlikely friendship in this painfully funny portrait of British suburban life. Cast: Gia Carides as Pam, Kenneth Danziger as Dennis, Judy Geeson as Vera, Miriam Margolyes as Marjorie and Alfred Molina as Neil. Directed by Waris Hussein.
Henceforward…: Writers block, divorce, and a female robot—these are the ingredients for the hilarious Henceforward…. Alan Ayckbourn writes about the not-so-distant future of what lengths a man will go to be inspired again, gain the love of his daughter, and redress the pain of his past. Cast: Jared Harris as Jerome, Anne Heche as Nan (Act I) and Corrina, Jack Davenport as Mervyn, Paula Jane Newman as Geain, Moira Quirk as Zoe and Nan (Act II), and Darren Richardson as Lupus. Directed by Martin Jarvis.
Man of the Moment: The price of accidental fame is hashed out in this comedy, insured by the Great Train Robbers such as Edwards and Ronnie Biggs, about a famous bank robber and the clerk who foiled his biggest heist. Ayckbourn’s 1988 play anticipates the popularity—and absurdity—of reality television. Cast: Rosalind Ayres as Jill Rillington, Jane Carr as Trudy Parks, Kenneth Danziger as Douglas Beechey, Martin Jarvis as Vic Parks, Ian Oglivy as Kenny Collins, and Yeardley Smith as Sharon Giffin. Directed by Robert Robinson.
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About the Narrators
Moira Quirk, a British actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, co-narrated Ben Bova’s Mercury and has narrated other popular audiobooks for which she received Audie Award nominations. She is a successful comedian and can be heard on Nickelodeon’s cartoon My Life as a Teenage Robot as well as in The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, The Wild Thornberrys Feature, and Serendipity, among others. She has also lent her voice to several video games, including Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and Haunting Ground.
Carolyn Seymour is a voice artist and audiobook narrator. She was born in England and grew up on a farm on the Isle of Wight. Her rather eccentric Russian Irish parents instilled in her a love of reading and a passion for the countryside. She has lived in Los Angeles for the last thirty years, where she putters about in her garden, grows vegetables, entertains her children and friends, and hikes with her three glorious but ancient dogs.
Miriam Margolyes received the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress award in 1993 for The Age of Innocence. She was the voice of Fly the dog in Babe and appeared in Ladies in Lavender with Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. In 2002 she played the role of Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Martin Jarvis, OBE, has recorded more than 150 Just William stories for the BBC. These have become international
audio bestsellers. He won the Theatre World Award for his starring role on
Broadway in By Jeeves; his West End
appearances include works by Ayckbourn, Frayn, Pinter, and Wilde. Screen
successes include everything from Stargate
Atlantis, Doctor Who, and Numb3rs to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Oscar-winning Titanic.
Ken Danziger (a.k.a. Kenneth Scott) has been an actor almost longer than he can remember. He has enjoyed it all: training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England and stage, film, and television work in London, New York, and currently in Los Angeles. There have been many highlights along the way, not least among them working on this book.
Alfred Molina is an actor and winner of numerous Earphones Awards for audiobook narration. His films include Spiderman II, Frida, Magnolia, Chocolat, Boogie Nights, The Perez Family, Maverick, Enchanted April, Not Without My Daughter, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Prick Up Your Ears. He has appeared extensively on British and American television, including the TV series Bram & Alice and Ladies’ Man. He received a Tony Award nomination, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Art on Broadway. He also performed on Broadway in Molly Sweeney and in Speed the Plow for the National Theatre in London.
Rosalind Ayres is a leading English actress whose many movies include the Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters and Titanic. Her audio performances have won awards in both Britain and the United States, including AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Anne Heche
is an American actress. She has had leading roles in two theatrically released
films Six Days, Seven Nights and Return to Paradise, as well as many supporting
roles in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Volcano, John Q, and
Donnie Brasco. She also starred in the television series Men in Trees, Hung,
and most recently Save Me.
Miriam Margolyes received the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress award in 1993 for The Age of Innocence. She was the voice of Fly the dog in Babe and appeared in Ladies in Lavender with Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. In 2002 she played the role of Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rosalind Ayres is a leading English actress whose many movies include the Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters and Titanic. Her audio performances have won awards in both Britain and the United States, including AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Miriam Margolyes received the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress award in 1993 for The Age of Innocence. She was the voice of Fly the dog in Babe and appeared in Ladies in Lavender with Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. In 2002 she played the role of Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Jack Davenport is
an English actor best known for his roles in the television series This Life, Coupling, Smash, and as
James Norrington in the Pirates of the
Caribbean films. In addition to film and theater, he has lent his voice to many
audiobooks and voice-overs for commercials. Some of his audiobook credits
include A Clockwork Orange, Black Dogs, Candide, among others, and his narrations have won two AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Ken Danziger (a.k.a. Kenneth Scott) has been an actor almost longer than he can remember. He has enjoyed it all: training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England and stage, film, and television work in London, New York, and currently in Los Angeles. There have been many highlights along the way, not least among them working on this book.