The Norman Conquests Tony Award Joy

For most actors, news of a Tony nomination for Featured Actor would be reason enough to celebrate. Not so for Stephen Mangan of The Norman Conquests. "I got a text message saying 'Sorry you missed out on Best Actress in a Musical.'" He deadpans, "I was fuming."

Laughing about the overwhelming amount of congratulatory texts, Mangan says, "Text message and emails is how you find out these days. No one talks to each other. Why would you talk to each other? No, send an electronic message over the airways. It's lovely."

Mangan's co-star and fellow nominee Jessica Hynes was making bacon and eggs with her daughter when the phone rang. "I missed the call. And when I ran back the number came up and I said 'Oh hi, did you just ring me? My name's Jessica. And they said (in an American accent) 'Oh hi, congratulations. You've been nominated for a Tony Award!'"

Alan Ayckbourn's comedic trilogy The Norman Conquests busted guts at the Old Vic in London and recently hopped the pond to Broadway. I got a chance to speak with cast members Stephen Mangan and Jessica Hynes about public crying, facial hair, and American funny bones.

How did you first get involved in the production?

JH: Matt (Warchus, director) called me up and said, 'Will you meet me? I want to talk to you about something.' I thought that sounded interesting because he's a great director and he's talked to me about a couple of things before which I haven't been able to do. He said, 'Listen, I want to put The Norman Conquests on, do you know it?' I told him, 'I don't know anything about it.' He said, 'Well, read the script and tell me what you think. Just for the record it's the best part I've ever offered you. Probably the best one I ever will offer you.' (Smiling) I told him, 'I'll think about it, Matthew.'

SM: What you said was 'I want to play Norman.'

JH: I did, I said 'I want to play Norman.' ---

SM: --- And I wanted to play Annie.

JH: He said, 'You can't play Norman, but I think you'll do a good job with Annie.' So I read it, rang him and said, 'Yeah, I'll do it. Thank you.'

SM: Matthew offered me Norman and I said 'I will do it as long as I don't have to grow a beard or wear silly shorts.' And he goes 'No, of course you won't.' So here I am looking like a reject BeeGee. It's a big look. I look like Cher with a facial hair problem.

I was filming a TV series so I had to do Norman in the evenings. There was no way I wasn't going to do it if I could possibly help it. I didn't know much about him {Ayckbourn} and when I started reading him I thought, 'Yeah, ok.' But when you get into it, you just find that these are phenomenal plays. I genuinely think it's one of the best works of the British theatre.

It seems like this production in particular has helped raise awareness of Ayckbourn’s brilliance as a playwright.

SM: You've got to credit our director, Matthew Warchus with that because these plays were known as funny plays. They're done a lot by amateurs and they're always hilarious, but what he's brought out is the depth and the sadness to underpin the humor and I think that's what makes it so memorable.

How was the rehearsal process as you attempt to mount three plays at once?

JH: It was exhausting and nerve racking. I remember coming away after the first week, just weeping. Coming out of the rehearsal room weeping. I was on the tube, weeping. What have I done? What have I got myself into? It's too much. At the beginning you kind of see where you want to get to but you think I'm so many millions of miles away from it. It's like a mountain you have to climb. Just the lines. Steve showed up, he knew most of his lines. Obviously adding insult to injury.

SM: (dryly) I'm a professional.

JH: (laughing) I thought, he knows his lines? What a wanker. How can he do that? What are you trying to do to me?

SM: We're getting paid for this Jess, it's not a hobby.

JH: I was feeling so down.

SM: I had grown my beard already. I don't muck about.

JH: I felt I was a million miles away from where I need to get to.

SM: (patting her on the shoulder) You will get there. I have faith in you.

JH: But what's great actually is at this point it feels like this New York run, coming back to it, having more time, it has become so much better.

How are American audiences different from British audiences?

SM: They're much more vocal over here. They ooh, they ahh, they yell, they shriek. I love it. It's great to know what an audience is thinking. The British are so reserved. They're having the time of their life but they're (he clenches his chin and raises his nose) 'ah ha ha.' Over here they're (throwing his head back) 'HaaaaaaHaaaaaHaaaaaaa.'

JH: Howling, they're howling.

We like to let you know we appreciate you. We're in a recession. We will take all the laughter we can get.

SM: I think when times are hard, shows have to be good. Otherwise people won't risk putting them on. When things are really bad, people want to go to the theatre.

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