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West End review / Noises Off at the Garrick Theatre

October 17, 2019 by Antonia Windsor Leave a Comment

Review of: Noises Off
Produced by:
Playful Productions, Kilimanjaro Theatricals, Karl Sydow, Tulchin/Bartner and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Price:
From £15

Reviewed by: Antonia Windsor
Rating:
5
On October 17, 2019
Last modified:October 17, 2019

Summary:

This tight production of Michael Frayn's exuberant comedy will make you laugh until you cry. Try it for a few hours of sheer escapism.

More Details

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is one of the most delicious, exuberant comedies ever written and this West End transfer of the Lyric Hammersmith production that opened this summer proves that there is nothing we need more right now than the opportunity to laugh at a show that has nothing to do with the world around us and everything to do with the foibles of actors and the workings of farce.

The play follows a team of touring actors as they try to stage the farce “Nothing On” and we see it from the disastrous dress rehearsal, through to the tired end of run from both front of house and back stage. The actors bravely carry on despite their personal lives increasingly getting in the way of their ability to make it through to the end of the play in an hilarious send-up of the “show must go on” mentality of theatre folk.

The relationships of the cast disintegrate. Photo: The cast of Noises Off at the Garrick Theatre. Photo: Helen Maybanks

The relationships of the cast disintegrate. Photo: Helen Maybanks

This is belly-aching theatre with laughs from the first few minutes right through to the end. Silly, funny stuff like plates of sardines turning up in the wrong place, door handles falling off and an actor going on stage with his shoe-laces tied together; to darker physical comedy like near misses with an axe.

The cast are stupendous led by Meera Syal as “Dotty” the ageing actress who has injected her own cash into the production who uses a glorious RP when not in character as the housekeeper of the “onstage” farce. Lloyd Owen plays the put-upon director who would rather be working at the RSC, while Sarah Hadland plays Belinda, tasked with trying to keep the ensemble together. Daniel Rigby is sublime as the male lead Gary who believes he has been cuckolded by his fellow actor (Richard Henders) and Simon Rouse plays a delightfully bumbling Selsdon.

If you’ve never seen this play before – which premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith in 1982 – then Jeremy Herrin’s production will be a brilliant introduction – it is about as good as it gets.

Creative Team

Writer: Michael Frayn
Director: Jeremy Herrin
Set and costume designer: Max Jones
Lighting designer: Ella Wahlstrom
Sound designer: Daniel Raggett

Noises Off runs at the Garrick until January 4 2020, www.noisesoffplay.com

Author: Antonia Windsor

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: comedy, farce, Garrick Theatre, Michael Frayn, west end

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  • October 17th, 2019
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