22 September – 1 October

Directed with pace and energy by Lindsay Posner, and with excellent performances from the entire cast, this uproarious revival of Noises Off reinforces its reputation as one of English theatre’s very funniest plays. It was back in 1970 that Michael Frayn first thought of writing a comedy with a backstage setting. He was watching a production of his farce The Two Of Us from the wings, and found it ‘funnier from behind than in front.’ Noises Off first saw the light of day in 1982, so this production serves as a worthy celebration of its fortieth anniversary.

Offering two farces for the price of one, Noises Off is centred on the off-stage shenanigans of a somewhat down-at-heel touring company, whose production of ‘Nothing On’, a traditional bedroom farce with a country house setting, is plagued with difficulties. Most of these problems arise from the all-too-human weaknesses of the cast and their director. In Act 1 we see their final dress rehearsal, and here Frayn presents a delicious parody of actorly foibles. There is the young actress Brooke (Sasha Frost) who is frequently rendered blind by the loss of a contact lens, and the querulous thespian Frederick (Jonathan Coy) who needs the motivation behind every move explained in detail. Dotty (Felicity Kendal) is an actress past her finest years whose savings are bankrolling the show, but who repeatedly fails to remember what she should be doing with various props, including a wayward plate of sardines. Dotty is having an affair with the somewhat younger leading man Garry (Joseph Millson), who is prone to fits of jealous rage. Further difficulties are presented by old stager Selsdon Mowbray (Matthew Kelly), who is overly fond of whisky. The increasingly exasperated director Lloyd (Alexander Hanson) tries desperately to keep everyone on task, but he himself is prone to distractions of a romantic nature.

In Act 2 we are taken backstage during a performance, and much of the fun arises from the offstage actors’ need to keep quiet, even though they are going through a whole range of personal crises, and relationships have reached breaking point. This is all delivered at breakneck pace and Swiss watch precision. It is a great strength of Frayn’s writing that these characters are entirely credible as actors, albeit of varied ability, and ‘Nothing On’ is equally believable as a farce, though perhaps not of top-drawer quality. Noises Off keeps one foot firmly planted in reality, allowing us to believe in these wayward thespians, even when matters become very silly indeed.

In Act 3 we see the final performance of ‘Nothing On’, and here Frayn finally allows the distinction between his characters’ onstage and offstage lives to merge into a glorious mayhem of brilliant physical comedy, including a truly awesome falling down stairs sequence that brought well-deserved applause from last night’s packed audience. This is a must-see show, delivered with great panache, and laughter in abundance is guaranteed.

★★★★★ Mike Whitton, 28th September, 2022

Photo credit: Nobby Clark