REVIEW | Noises Off, Theatre Royal Haymarket
Written by Cathie.
Noises Off is a legendary 80s farce by Michael Frayne which dominated the West End and Broadway 40 years ago. It satirises the infamous CarryOn-type sex comedies of the 60s and 70s that were at the height of popularity at the time but have since faded from the majority of public memory. It has a strange duality of timelessness and faded elegance in its presentation. The latter as it’s so rock centred in the 80s that many of the references, such as corded telephones seem odd. Yet its witty dialogue and character interactions make it transcend the 80s shell to echo loudly in modern theatre and society. It is very similar to The Mousetrap in this magnetic presence that few of the older shows can maintain.
The actual story is structured as a play within a play spread over 3 acts. We see first the chaotic final rehearsals before the opening night in Weston-Super-Mare, the second act is a disastrous matinee in Ashton-Under-Lyme seen entirely from backstage. Then we finally see their last, brilliantly catastrophic swan dive of a performance in Stockton-on-Tees. At first, the plot seems slow to start and it takes a while to understand the play ‘Nothing on’ rehearsed as it should be presented but this first act is key to understanding how badly it goes later on. Some elements of the play have aged painfully, such as the director ‘Lloyd’ (Alexander Hanson) preying on the younger attractive women in the production, but also shows cutting insights into 80s morality.
This casts chemistry working together is tightly knit and completely brilliant. I can only imagine the level of comradery and sheer effort it takes to so seamlessly showcase a play unravelling the seams at the scenes whilst keeping everything going to plan. Felicity Kendal shines with blithe fragility as Dotty which contrasts well with the jealously enraged Gary (Matthew Horne). Tamzin Outhwaite as Belinda is graceful warmth and her gentle chemistry with hapless Frederick (Jonathan Coy) holds the cast together well. The vapid Brooke (Sasha Frost), surprisingly robust elderly thief Selsdon (James Fleet) and put upon Poppy (Pepter Lunkuse) and Tim (Oscar Batterham) round this cast to be a truly spectacular force on stage.
My favourite part of the play is Act Two where everything happens behind the scenes in near silence and you can see the cast’s relationships fracturing. It makes you wonder how many of these types of scenes must take place across the west end each night. The set was fantastic and really held up well under all the abuse it endures during the more physically intensive farcical moments. The audience absolutely loved this comedy and it was rare not to hear a chuckle or giggle at any line throughout. It was also wonderful to see Michael Frayne at the final bows as a well-earned nod to his brilliant show.
In simple terms, “it’s all about doors and sardines” and a rollicking good night out too. To paraphrase the character Gary, “We’re here you know to have a fantastic time, leave with fond memories and wracked with side-splitting laughter.”
At Theatre Royal Haymarket until 16 December 2023.
★ ★ ★ ★
