Noises Off

Farce isn't my most favoured art form. When it comes to theatre I prefer a play with acerbic wit rather than trousers round ankles. And Noises Off is really the ultimate farce, being a farce about a farce. Nevertheless, it was great fun of course, and one can't help but be impressed by the sheer complexity of the plot in front of one.

If you haven't seen it, Act 1 is the dress rehearsal of a play about to tour provincial theatres. So the director keeps popping up out of the audience to correct things on stage. This play is, as I say, a farce, with the customary scatty housekeeper (played by Celia Imre, the one real name in the cast), two couples both in search of a bit of illicit nookie in a house they shouldn't be in, and an elderly deaf alcoholic actor playing a burglar. So in this rehearsal we get to see not only the play, but also find out who is having affairs with whom amongst the cast (and back stage crew). And the farce has all the elements one would expect, numerous doors which the various actors go in and out of, miraculously never coming across each other until the denouement. And trousers falling down. Of course.

Now for the clever bit. Act 2 is the same play again, but now as a matinee in some godforsaken litle theatre in front of the local OAPs. Except now we see it in reverse. We see the backstage. So while our actors go off through the doors and we can hear the dialogue, we see the backstage shenanigans, with the now feuding cast. But this is all now physical theatre as they can't raise their voices backstage. So its one long mime act with various things being thrown around at each other and a constant theme of keeping a bottle of scotch hidden from the alcoholic burglar.

For Act 3 we are back at the front on one of the last nights of the run. But now relationships have broken down completely and so does the play. So having got used to what the plot was (having effectively seen it twice) we now see it all going wrong in the third run through. One of the clever devices was having one actor trying to improvise as various props are not where they are supposed to be or where actors fail to turn up on cue, while his young female co-star resolutely refuses to leave script whatever happens. So, for example she will cry out that her bag has disappeared, notwithstanding that it was there for all to see.

Anyway, you have to see it to enjoy it. Great light fun for Christmas and we certainly enjoyed it. But rapier like wit? Well no. Another night maybe.