+1 for allowing enemies to act simultaneously. This could even be an option people could turn on or off, so those that wanted to follow each enemy's turn individually could do that too!

Also, yes, please less NPCs in combats going forward. Aside from the time lost watching NPCs doing things, more friendly NPCs means more enemies to face for a balanced encounter, which means a longer combat. 1 NPC is fine. 3+ NPCs is tedious.