Michael Frayn's classic (and celebrated) British comedy farce Noises Off has arrived at The Questors Theatre in Ealing for a short run in their Judi Dench Playhouse.
In this revival of Noises Off, the cast of The Questors put their best foot forward (and deliberately trip over it), to give a laugh-out-loud performance.
If you're unfamiliar with the show, the first thing you should know is that it's a play within a play. The cast of Noises Off are performing as actors during their last-minute dress rehearsal that keeps grinding to a halt, for the fast-paced fictional comedy show Nothing On.
Act One follows the show on its last-minute dress rehearsal. In Act two, we see behind the scenes of the disastrous run, followed by a pause before Act Three, the final performance where the cast let their personal dramas affect their performance.
The principal cast, the stage crew, and the director all get into what can only be described as watching what happens when you give too many children sweets at a birthday party. It's a chaotic mess with tears, tantrums, and tossing sardines.
One of the most interesting parts of the show is that in the middle of Act Two you see the set change happen on stage. The crew put in a tremendous amount of work to turn the huge set around and you really appreciate where your ticket money is going. What was an added joy was a third of the set was almost put on backwards, which ensured great and well-earned cheers from the audience!
The structure of this show is a masterstroke, but it does mean that everyone on stage must masterfully race up stairs, fall down the stairs, and be off and on the stage at just the right or wrong time to ensure the comedy lands. The Questors performers, whilst they overlap their lines a little in the opening, find that magic timing and masterfully accelerate the show into a blink and you'll miss it pace.
This is by no means an easy show to perform, Pip Nixon as Garry Lejeune is a character who can never quite make a point, and whilst he's a smooth actor as Roger Tremplemain, when the show goes wrong in Act Two, he reverts to bumbling on stage when he can't find the door knob, just before his pratfall down the stairs.
Despina does a marvellous job at playing Dotty, but makes a really warm Mrs Clackett to open the show and really sets the tone. She then plays a dotty Mrs Clackett in Act Three really well.
The costumes feel bang-on with the period, the props are plentiful, and a special mention for this review goes to Lewis Matthams as it is his first show as a sound designer, and it seemed to go off without a hitch.
Whilst sex-comedies of which Noises Off are based on have waned from the stage, mishap comedy has been kept alive through MISCHIEF Comedy's shows like The Play That Goes Wrong, The Comedy About Spies and Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.
The Questors have managed to capture the joyful essence of Noises Off and delivered a stellar show that reminds us why farce, when done right, never goes out of fashion.
Review: James Dix