Earlier this season, New York went through his Communicating Doors. Now South Coast Rep goes Round and Round the Garden, when the third part of Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests trilogy plays there, April 9-May 16, officially opening April 16.

Directed by Martin Benson, Garden blooms with Susan Marie Brecht, Nike Doukas, Lynnda [sic] Ferguson, Allan Hendrick, Timothy Landfield and Time Winters.

The design team is SCR associate artist Michael Devine (sets), Susan Denison Geller (costumes), York Kennedy (lights), BC Keller (sound design). Julie Haber is production stage manager.

The Norman Conquests comprises a trilogy of plays (including Table Manners and Living Together) which occur simultaneously, with an exit from the set of one play creating a concurrent entrance onto the set of another play. Ayckbourn has written 52 plays since the early 1970s. Other works include Woman in Mind, Bedroom Farce and A Small Family Business.

In conjunction with the new Ayckbourn play, the SCR also announced that everyone named Norman will receive a free ticket to the April 18 evening performance. Just be able to prove your name is Norman -- first, last or middle name -- and the ticket is yours. "We have produced Ayckbourn plays for a decade, to the delight of our audiences," said artistic director David Emmes, "and we thought it was time to have a little offstage fun. I expect Ayckbourn would approve."

South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive. Call (714) 708-5555 for information.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent
and David Lefkowitz