When I was first handed a copy of the playtext for Noises Off in my first term at drama school I was initially dubious. It was given to me as part of an assignment studying modern farce. My only previous encounter with the work of the author, Michael Frayn, had been his socio-political history play Copenhagen which, although brilliant, undoubtedly falls into the ‘slow-burner’ category with just about enough comedy within its pages to perhaps lift a wry smirk from a very generous audience member. How could this playwright also have created what is widely deemed one of, if not, the greatest farce of modern times? But all doubt quickly fled once I found myself genuinely laughing aloud whilst turning its pages and since then I have tried to seize every opportunity to see it onstage whenever a production passes my way.

So you can imagine my excitement when, earlier this year, I saw that a brand new staging of the play was due to be visiting Theatre Royal Brighton (from 18th-22nd October) with a star-studded cast that was to include Felicity Kendal, Joseph Millson and Tracy-Ann Oberman among others. I booked tickets and eagerly awaited the rising of the curtain.

And even with my perhaps unfairly high expectations, this production did not disappoint.

With the action taking place across three acts we bear witness to the trials faced when putting on a touring production, the fictional farce and play-within-a-play Nothing On. From the final rehearsal to performances midway through the run we are party to backstage drama that leads to onstage mishaps with everything from love affairs to lost props and dizzy spells to drunk co-stars leading to a whirlwind of disaster.

And the setbacks certainly come thick and fast. Expertly helmed by director Lindsay Posner, the cast deliver each visual and spoken gag at a dizzying pace with barely a moment to stop for breath. The relationships are brought to the fore with the smarm and pretence heightening the ensuing adversities as the cast-within-a-cast cannot helping blowing kisses at the means of their own undoing.

In a strong ensemble, Joseph Millson still manages to give a standout performance. He is virtuosic as Garry, egocentric and cocksure as the leading male of Nothing On. The type that spends a lot of time speaking only to say nothing at all, he is everybody’s friend until he very much isn’t. Alexander Hanson’s cantankerous director, Lloyd, bristles with vexation and wrath as he herds cats whilst also spinning plates and a special mention has to be made for Tracy-Ann Oberman as cast gossip, Belinda, who helps steer and make plain the action amidst the show’s more convoluted moments.

Often preferring to operate behind closed doors, the theatre industry perhaps hopes to create an air of mystery that can sometimes tread a little too close to snobbishness. But here the doors are constantly opening, slamming and sometimes coming off the hinges altogether. Because the audience can see the action both onstage and off this production dispels the sense of ‘craft’ that many within the sector still think it healthy to maintain. Sometimes the show shouldn’t go on and sometimes it really mustn’t. Noises Off takes a nostalgic look at the sadly all-but-lost weekly rep companies, but dispenses with any rose-tinted glasses. As the industry looks to return from the last few years and clings on in the current economic crisis perhaps it could learn a lesson or two from Frayn’s farce on how to build back better. A greater honesty about the (sometimes literal) blood, sweat and tears that go into making a show could be a good thing, resulting in a greater respect and admiration for those working both front stage and back. After all, it is the noises off that keep the show on.

Theatre Royal Brighton, Tuesday 18th October 2022
For tickets and further information click here
Photos by Nobby Clark