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In My View – by Mark Keable, Ipswich24.
When it comes to classic farce it’s not so much Noises Off as Trousers Off! This interpretation of Michael Frayn’s 1970 “farce about a farce” is a classic.
Add to that the artistic direction by the New Wolsey’s own Peter Rowe, throw in a talented cast and this production could not fail to have audiences quite literally splitting their sides with laughter.
Act One sees a typical farce being rehearsed by a touring company, it’s during these rehearsals we meet the assortment of characters that you will meet in many theatrical companies. The fact that on the night that I saw the performance I was sitting near a member of such a company, who pointed out similarities with various traits and you realise that life is sometimes larger than fiction.
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Act Two sees a the set revolve so that we can see the various escapades backstage. A love-triangle among the cast, suspicions and slowly unfolding retribution, while all the time various members disappear off onto front of stage where we can hear them perform and then to return to the mayhem backstage.
Act Three and the stage revolves once more so that this time the mayhem and utter farce unleashes itself on stage for all to see!
The timing of all the cast is impeccable and in this production cast and director have managed to bring back the British Farce to those of us old enough to remember the great days of Brian Rix and Co. and to introduce a very typical British tradition to younger members of the audience.
Don't miss it!
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The New Wolsey Theatre’s first in-house production for spring 2010 is the multi award-winning classic British comedy Noises Off by Michael Frayn, with Rosemary Ashe as Dotty Otley, which runs from 19 February to 13 March.
It’s the technical rehearsal for a touring production of Nothing On, a classic British Farce, and tempers amongst our company of theatrical troupers are fraying. The director is juggling simultaneous affairs, the leading lady can’t remember her lines, the veteran actor is hitting the bottle, the stage manager is dead on his feet and to top it all, the matinee idol is worried about his motivation. By the time the tour reaches Ashton Under Lyme open warfare has broken out backstage and when we reach the touring graveyard which is Stockton on Tees anything could go wrong – and everything does.
Noises Off won the 1982 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year and theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. British novelist and playwright Michael Frayn has won the London Evening Standard Award for Best Play three times, for Benefactors, Copenhagen and Democracy. His screenplays include Clockwise, starring John Cleese, and his novels include Headlong (shortlisted for the Booker Prize) and Spies (winner of the Whitbread Best Novel Award).
Rosie Ashe, renowned for her rich career in the West End, including playing the roles of Carlotta in the original cast of The Phantom of the Opera, Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables, Widow Corney in Oliver!, Felicia Gabriel in The Witches of Eastwick, Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, will play Dotty Otley, described in the opening notes of the play, as “a housekeeper of character”, usually seen carrying an imposing plate of sardines!! (nominated for Laurence Olivier Award Best Supporting Actress).
The cast also includes Jamie Newall as Nothing On director Lloyd Dallas, Charles Davies (last seen at the New Wolsey playing swinger Ian in A Chorus of Disapproval) as secretly insecure Garry LeJeune, Jemma Churchill as ever-helpful Belinda Blair, Robin Kermode as the handsome older man Freddy Fellowes, Saskia Butler as self-obsessed Brooke Ashton, Col Farrell as reformed alcoholic Selsdon Mowbray, Gavin Spokes as Company Stage Manager Tim Allgood and Victoria Yeates as Assistant Stage Manager Poppy Norton-Taylor.
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