Noises Off

Company: New Wolsey Theatre

Venue: New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

The cast of Noises Off

It’s a tricky thing, farce. Done badly, it can bore and often offend. Presented correctly, it can lift the spirits and entertain beautifully.

We are fortunate indeed, then, that Peter Rowe’s offering of the Michael Frayn classic, Noises Off, is performed with sublime comedic skill, for this has to be one of the most challenging pieces of the genre, requiring the most consummate of acting and split-second timing to pull it off convincingly.

This may be controversial, but one might suggest that Noises Off isn’t a farce at all; in fact it’s a brilliantly-crafted comedy about a farce and the difference isn’t just semantic.

Act One is the technical rehearsal of Otstar Productions’ Nothing On at Weston-Super-Mare and all is not going well for director Lloyd Dallas, his six actors and two technical crew. Lines aren’t learned, tempers are frayed, and actors AWOL. They’re all trying to muddle through but, beneath the thin veneer of professionalism, is a simmering cauldron of resentment that threatens to tear apart the production. For those who practice the performing arts at either amateur or professional level, this will be an all too familiar scenario. To complicate matters, several members of the company are having personal relationships, sometimes at the same time.

Headlining is West End veteran Rosemary Ashe as the actress Dotty Otley, who in turn plays batty housekeeper Mrs Clackett in a beautifully observed caricature. However, while Ashe is the “name”, this is very much an ensemble piece that would clearly fail with just one weak link and the entire cast puts in highly commendable and riveting performances.

By Act Two, Nothing On is in full swing and has moved to Ashton-Under-Lyne. By this time, we’re witnessing the goings on backstage as relationships between the cast and crew deteriorate. There are axes being wielded, strangulation, blunt instruments, and a very alarming looking cactus being introduced at inopportune moments. Will the company survive the carnage of the third act and a move on to Stockton-On-Tees? Probably not.

Noises Off has been widely described as “the funniest play ever written”. This may or may not be the case but Peter Rowe’s outing is full of chaos and slick one-liners delivered perfectly by a range of OTT characters.

Even for those – including this reviewer – whose tastes usually exclude farce, this production is a must-see and a perfect way to exorcise those late-winter demons.

PAUL COUCH