The 40th anniversary production of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off had a brief stint in the West End at the beginning of this year having previously played at Theatre Royal Bath and then on tour. Now, despite its age, the production remains popular enough to return to the West End for a slightly longer run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
There’s a change to the cast for this return, and what a hard-working cast they are, with most having to perform two separate roles. Noises Off is of course best known for having a play within a play structure. Noises Off is about the company of ‘Nothing On’, a regionally touring farcical sex comedy, and the theatrical joke is that the antics happening off stage are almost always more entertaining than anything happening on stage.’
The cast of Noises Off run the performance of ‘Nothing On’ (or at least a good chunk of it) three times in total, though for those of us in the audience, each run through is remarkably different. The first act of Noises Off is the dress run of ‘Nothing On’ and it’s fairly obvious that things are not going well.
The second act is split between two performances ; the first is several months into the tour, cast romances and bitter jealousy have surfaced. This is the best part of Noises Off because we get to watch it unfold (in almost complete silence) from ‘backstage’. It’s a magnificent feat of stagecraft. The last time we see ‘Nothing On’ is on its closing night, and the outcome of that is best left as a surprise.
Felicity Kendal leads a sparkling cast as Dotty Otley, a character which could give Mrs Overall a run for her money. Equally as entertaining is James Fleet as the hard of hearing, line-forgetting, alcohol loving, Selsdon, with Fleet making the most of the absurdity of the characteer.
As the so called ‘professionals’ in the company of ‘Nothing On’ create chaos at every theatre they visit, it falls to stage hands and understudies Poppy and Tim (Pepter Lunkuse and Oscar Batterham) to ensure the show goes on. As the most grounded characters Lunkuse and Batterham do a marvellous job of balancing out the more flamboyant characters, such as Brooke (Sasha Frost) and Frederick (Jonathan Coy).
Tamzin Outhwaite shines as Belinda, the friendly support to the rest of the cast who relishes in all the backstage gossip, while Alexander Hanson as the two-timing. perma-stressed director, Lloyd, delivers each line with precision. Mathew Horne as Garry keeps the audience entertained with ever increasing fury.
Lindasy Posner’s production demonstrates just how magnificent Frayn’s play actually is, the second act, in particular, demonstrates the intense choreography required to pull off any theatrical production, and that couldn’t be truer for Noises Off. It is extremely clever and wildly funny, and even forty years on remains a masterclass in farce.
