Noises Off (tour – Cambridge, Arts Theatre)
Included in the
programme for this tour of Michael Frayn‘s Noises Off
is a mock-up of the programme for the ghastly production being
inflicted on the worthy playgoers of, among others,
Weston-super-Mare, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stockton-on-Tees. We who
watch the technical-cum-dress rehearsal and two matinée performances
as Nothing On and its cast disintegrate so
hilariously can spare a thought for those off-stage OAPs who still have two
acts of thespian mayhem to survive.
every farcial moment until its pips squeak. The play-within-a-play’s
director Lloyd (Neil Pearson erupts from the stalls as his cast,
led by fading comedienne Dotty (Maureen Beattie) – who has
ploughed her life savings into this tour, proceed to make his
university-trained hackles rise to their bristliest. Ingénue Brooke
(Tomasin Rand) and ASM Poppy (Danielle Flett) may share Lloyd’s
bed but that doesn’t let them escape his wrath, let alone his sarcasm.
The rest of the cast is
equally good; this is true ensemble playing, even if Pearson’s
character cannt help but dominate. There’s oh-so-slightly camp former
matinée idol Freddie (Chris Larkin) with his propensity to suffer
nosebleeds at inopportune moments and jealousy-prone Garry (David
Bark-Jones), who stages a spectacular staircase tumble in the last
act and thoroughly deserves the applause this occasions. Sasha
Waddell is Belinda, whose attempts to pour oil on troubled backstage
and offstage relationships waters occasionally misfire.
A large proportion of
the confusion is caused by elderly actor Selsdon, who needs to be
kept away from alcohol – and, as Geoffrey Freshwater has great
fun demonstrating, who has a hardened drinker’s ability to sniff out
a bottle even before it’s uncorked. And then there’s the over-worked
company and stage manager Tim (Simon Bubb) who’s short of sleep
among other woes, the all-purpose dog’sbody to perfection. All in
all, you can see why this Old Vic touring production is such a
success with its audiences. Frayn’s play works as well now, with the
right cast and direction, as it did 30 years ago.
