Double post meh! 

Times Online article Spaced's Jessica Hynes prepares for the Norman Conquests

“Can you imagine after Spaced if I had gone and written a film with Edgar and written a part for Simon in that? How might he have felt? How would you have felt?” Sad, I say. “Yes, I was very sad. Literally, on a physical level, I loved Simon.” She’s using the past tense, I point out. “I’ll always love them. But it’s not a live thing because they’ve gone to a different creative place.” The geek-friendly, arguably less character-based route Pegg and Wright have taken is “great fun, but it’s not necessarily what I would have wanted to do. They went and did it and I don’t think it occurred to them to ask me if I wanted to do that.

“I was very sad for quite a while afterwards, and quite numb. I couldn’t get my head round it.” It was a while before they were in touch. “There was a bit of tension, a bit of: ‘Why are you being like that?’ ‘I’m not being like that’ and that creates a distance which then becomes a chasm.” They now e-mail occasionally. “I see Simon like a distant cousin or something. I don’t care what s*** goes down. I will always be Simon’s friend because that’s how I am,” she adds.

Blimey, that Times interview is... interesting

I was very dismayed to see the Times article the other week, with a picture of me looking like a love-lorn twat and "It was very sad. I loved him." written beneath it. I ACTUALLY said I loved Simon AND Edgar AND Nick, or course I did, we were buddies, they went their way I accepted that and was proud. Ed Potton obviously preferred to focus on his invention of the story rather than my truth. What a prick. No way were my 'eyes welling up with tears' I never cry, ever, not since my tear ducts were cauterized in a freak accident with a precision laser. At least that's what Ed Potton said so it must be true.

Yours pissed offly,
Jessica Hynes

Ed Potton and his editor Dominic Maxwell have apologized for the cover - Ed said he wasn't there when it was put together, Dominic said it was misleading.

Apology accepted.

Jessica

A warm and glowing Jessica Hynes wrenches the heart as the youngest sibling, Annie

book up quick if you want to see it. I guess that's what a 5* review in the Times does.

Alan Ayckbourn's comic trilogy of plays, THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, will come to Broadway directly following its sold out critically acclaimed run in London. The production, the latest success for The Old Vic Theatre Company under the artistic leadership of Kevin Spacey, will play for 16 weeks only. THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, directed by Matthew Warchus, opens Thursday, April 23 at Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street). Previews begin Tuesday, April 7.

The first Broadway revival of Ayckbourn's masterpiece will feature the original heralded company from The Old Vic: Amelia Bullmore (Ruth), Jessica Hynes (Annie), Stephen Mangan (Norman), Ben Miles (Tom), Paul Ritter (Reg) and Amanda Root (Sarah).

BOTTOM LINE: A thoughtful, well-written trilogy, The Norman Conquests gets funnier, and more profound, the more you see.

Wall Street Journal - “This 1973 triptych of plays about the travails of a suburban family is one of the 20th century’s comic masterpieces, and the Old Vic’s production is as good a staging as you’re likely to see in your lifetime.”

New York Times - “For in its impeccably natural portrayal of tales of ordinary misery, “Conquests” suggests nothing so much as Chekhov pumped full of nitrous oxide. Like “The Seagull” it is built on one of the wonderful paradoxes of theater: deeply unhappy people can generate profound happiness in audiences allowed to eavesdrop on their lives.”

Hollywood Reporter - “Shifting effortlessly from broad farce to Chekhovian poignancy, the plays feature not only an endless series of hilarious one-liners but also some of the most brilliant physical clowning to be seen on Broadway. But despite all the hilarity, we’re constantly reminded of the humanity of the characters — even Norman, who remains wonderfully endearing despite his utterly amoral behavior.”

Bloomberg - “The six actors — Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root — could not be better, and Matthew Warchus (of “Boeing-Boeing” and “God of Carnage” fame) conclusively establishes himself as one of our era’s supreme farce directors. Production values are up to snuff, notably Rob Howell’s costumes and David Howe’s lighting, and the writing is consistently superb”


Variety - “There’s no such lack of audience fulfillment in the richly rewarding revival transferring from London’s Old Vic, its structural ingenuity matched by an exceptional cast and by the supple modulations of Matthew Warchus’ direction.”

Post - “A merry British sprite has been sprinkling magic dust all over Broad way. No, it’s not Mary Poppins: It’s Matthew Warchus. After last season’s “Boeing-Boeing” and, more recently, “God of Carnage,” the director’s just spun comic gold out of another good-not-great play.”

NY1 - “Seldom has a comedy crossed our shores that produced the kind of gut splitting laughter heard in Alan Ayckbourn’s masterful “The Norman Conquests.” I’d have to go back to the original “Noises Off” on Broadway to recall such a comically consummate production. It’s three separate plays that can stand alone or be seen back to back. But I recommend seeing all three because it’s the only way to appreciate the ingeniousness of the thing and it’s three times the fun.”

New York magazine - “Over peanut M&M’s, my new date explains that he feels a bit left out; much of the audience keeps laughing for seemingly no reason as jokes initially made three hours earlier unexpectedly pay off. He likes the play just fine, he just feels like he’s missing the best bits.”

Associated Press - “Ayckbourn’s dialogue crackles with the wit of fine British drawing-room comedy, often stinging but anchored in the sharp observations of a playwright who has a generous, forgiving heart for human frailty. Well, at least for everyone except Norman. And, not unexpectedly, a feeling of Chekhovian sadness, floats over the proceedings, too, a realization that life most often doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”

amNewYork - “Matthew Warchus, who also directed “God of Carnage” and “Boeing-Boeing,” is truly a master when it comes to staging comedy. And in this absolutely hysterical in-the-round production with an impeccable cast, “The Norman Conquests” turns out to be one of the most rewarding theatrical experiences in an already overstuffed spring season on Broadway.”


Time - “The Norman Conquests is so damned funny (though grounded, as Ayckbourn’s comedy always is, in real human emotion) that it may simply perpetuate the misconception of Ayckbourn as a skilled boulevard entertainer. Which would leave American audiences still largely ignorant of the astonishing body of work by — controversial-pronouncement alert! — the greatest living English-language playwright.”

7th consecutive post? Must be a record.

Well done Jess! If we see you again, we'll say congrats in person.

We need to stake out that damn corner during Saturday break.

Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests: "I was walking around the kitchen, and I had a number on my phone that I didn't recognize. It was the number of the offices at the theatre. I called and said, 'This is Jessica Hynes.' He said, 'Oh, congratulations!' and I said, 'What for?' He hang on, 'I'll put you through.' He put me on to [press agent] Jim Byk. I was just padding around the kitchen recovering. We had a cast get-together last night. I made food, and we all had beers. I was recovering from that, with my children running around. I kind of had a vague idea the nominations were today, but not really. And then we got seven! They should change the name to The Nominations Conquests."

The excitement of Tony night begins here at TonyAwards.com at 6:00 p.m. ET with our live coverage of the celebrities’ arrivals on the Red Carpet, presented by Audemars Piguet, courtesy of NY1 News.

You can log in for a TonyAwards.com exclusive. Our site will present a live webcast of the Creative Arts Tony Awards, the categories covered before the telecast begins. Past winners Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell will host. You can see the presentations, acceptance speeches, and everything else that happens on stage—as if you were sitting in the Radio City auditorium.

TonyAwards.com is your insider’s pass to this year’s awards. Here is some of what you can expect to find here during and after the telecast:

Thank-you Cam - Our live video camera in the wings at Radio City will record the winners' immediate responses as they exit the stage after winning their Tony Awards. The backstage camera will capture intimate and exciting moments from the winners as they give thanks to the people that helped them along the way.

Posting Winners - We’ll be updating the site throughout Tony night with the names of winners.
Winner's Circle Interviews – Valerie Smaldone will chat with the winners in the Press Room.
Press Room Blog – Brian Scott Lipton, the editor-in-chief of TheaterMania.com, will be blogging here on TonyAwards.com all night from the backstage press room.

Photo Galleries – Pictures from the Red Carpet, the awards ceremony, the post-show gala, and more.

See you at the Tonys!

Great news theatre lovers. Got official word that the Tony Awards have reconsidered and Best Play Revival will now be on the telecast on CBS.
about 2 hours ago from web

Matthew Warchus just beat himself and won Best Direction of a Play for God of Carnage!

Bloody Angela Lansbury.

1. She's a national treasure

Funnily enough, Nic Cage has been in both of them.