The 40^th anniversary production of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off opens in Bath with a stellar cast featuring Felicity Kendal (The Good Life, Rosemary & Thyme), Jonathan Coy (Downton Abbey), Matthew Kelly (The Dresser, Cold Blood, Bleak House) and Tracy Ann-Oberman (EastEnders, Stepping Out, Edmond)

Leading lady Felicity Kendal tells us what audiences can expect.

What drew you to Noises Off?

I love the play. It’s a classic, funny, silly irreverent play, it’s exactly the kind of thing I want to do at the moment. The world is taking itself seriously right now – and our business can take itself very seriously sometimes – so I wanted to be part of a production that is just about having fun. I love it.

It’s a cleverly crafted play by a good writer and that is the work I want to do. If it wasn’t done by Michael Frayn it wouldn’t be as interesting – a lot of actors getting it wrong in a touring production isn’t interesting but the way he’s written it makes it so. All of his plays are so clever and well written. I first worked with Michael Frayn years ago in Clouds. He writes women so beautifully.

When I first saw Noises Off, apart from the role of the stage manager, I wouldn’t have been able to play a part because I was too young, so it was never a play I thought I would do.

But after the last couple of years I thought this is exactly what I want to do. A short tour, to venues I have been to many times before, a director (Lindsay Posner) I love working with. The stars aligned.

What drew you to your character, Dotty?

One of the things I love about Dotty, is that you get to play two parts; Dotty, the actress, who then also plays Mrs Clackett. She is just hilarious – she’s not very good at what she’s doing! She’s an actress who is desperate to keep working but she can’t remember what she says next – which is heaven to play. It’s just such a funny idea.

What do you think is the enduring appeal of Noises Off?

The writing! It’s very funny. I think it’s an unusual play in one sense – most plays about actors finding things tricky can be interminable to the audience but this really works. It’s real people in a real situation. They just happen to be actors and a bit daft like a lot of us!

I went to see the first production of Noises Off in 1982 at the Savoy Theatre (2022 is the 40^th anniversary) – and it was one of the hottest tickets in the West End. The audience found it hysterical. People were falling off their chairs all around me.

Can you relate to the story of Noises Off?

I can totally relate to the chaos. I have been in these exact scenarios – set and costumes go missing, door handles come off, sets fall on people. All of these scenarios are real – not made up! The chaos of what happens to put a show on can be very funny but also heartbreakingly disastrous. I’ve lived it!

Do you prefer comedy acting – does that come easier to you?

Comedy takes incredible concentration. It takes real craft. I like that challenge. Like any play it works on different levels. On the surface it’s silly but it’s not that easy to play. You have to get it right. You have to do it as if it is really serious. It can’t be played as if it’s a comedy, with actors acting funny because that’s not actually funny. It’s got to be realistic. When you are playing something that’s supposed to be heart-breaking you can’t act heartbroken. You have to let the audience be heartbroken. If you are acting ‘oh I am heartbroken and you have to feel sorry for me’, that doesn’t work. It’s the same with comedy. You have to be away from the funny side of it and take it very, very seriously. That is my judgement of the craft of good acting – you don’t appear to be acting.

With comedy you know when you get it right because you can hear it. You can be very good in a dramatic part and think it’s going wonderfully but you don’t get the response immediately. If you lose a laugh, you know straight away. It’s riskier to do a comedy!

What are you most looking forward to?

Rehearsals and then putting it in front of an audience! In rehearsals you have this belief that it is going to be fantastic. Then you think it’s going to be a disaster and you should give up the business. But you get through that little hiccup, it’s part of the process, and return to the excitement that this is going to be amazing and I can do it. It’s like being a child going into a paint shop and you can paint whatever you like.

Are you looking forward to touring?

Touring is what I am used to. I’ve been doing it for 70 years or more and for a long time it was what I loved to do more than anything. It’s an adventure; a different theatre each week and a different audience every night with new and different reactions. It’s risky!

In the West End you have to recreate the same thing and go back to your normal life every night. Touring is like escaping to a new life. I’ve been to all these venues what feels like thousands of times! I like them all and know them well.

Are you looking forward to coming to Bath?

I love playing Bath. The audience is so tuned in, so knowledgeable, they really know their stuff. You really have to be on your top game at Bath. It’s such a beautiful theatre and town, even though I’ve been there so many times, I still really look forward to it. I love having the time to walk around and take it all in.

Noises Off appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Thursday 22^nd September to Saturday 1^st October. To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or book online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Photo credit: Nobby Clark