23 August – 9 September
Hurtling along at breakneck speed, Noises Off follows the on and offstage antics of a touring theatre company as they stumble their way through the fictional farce, Nothing On.
From the shambolic final rehearsals before opening night in Weston-super-Mare, to a disastrous matinee in Ashton-under-Lyne seen entirely, and hilariously silently, from backstage, before we share their final, brilliantly catastrophic performance in Stockton-on-Tees.
With an all star cast…
As one of the UK’s favourite actresses, Liza Goddard’s extensive stage comedy credits include Life of Riley, Communicating Doors, Season’s Greetings and Relatively Speaking.
Matthew Kelly won an Olivier Award for his performance in The Rep’s Of Mice and Men (2001). His West End credits include Waiting For Godot, Comedians and Troilus and Cressida.
Simon Shepherd’s many credits include Peak Practice and the West End productions of Posh, The Duck House, Rapture, Art and Hay Fever.
Lindsay Posner is one of the UK’s most accomplished directors of comedy. His previous production of Noises Off enjoyed a sell-out run at London’s Old Vic. His many acclaimed West End productions include Hay Fever and Relatively Speaking, both of which starred Felicity Kendal and also played Bath. At the Theatre Royal Bath, Lindsay has also previously directed She Stoops to Conquer in 2015, The Truth in 2016, God of Carnage in 2018 and Stones in his Pockets in 2019. He was Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 1987 to 1992, where his production of Death and the Maiden transferred to the West End winning two Olivier Awards. In the West End, he has also directed Butley, Abigail’s Party, A View from the Bridge, An Ideal Husband and Uncle Vanya.
An award-winning novelist, playwright and journalist, Michael Frayn’s diverse work for theatre also includes Copenhagen, Donkeys’ Years, Democracy, Alphabetical Order, Benefactors, Clouds, Balmoral and Afterlife. His first film, Clockwise starring John Cleese, was released in 1986. His second film, First and Last, won an Emmy Award in 1990. He wrote Noises Off after watching, from the wings, his 1970 farce The Two of Us starring Richard Briers and Lynn Redgrave, and noting that the goings on behind the scenes were funnier than out front. The original stage production of Noises Off opened in London in 1982 before becoming a worldwide hit. It was later made into a film starring Michael Caine, Carol Burnett and Christopher Reeve in 1992.
