“Noises Off,” a farce in three acts by Michael Frayn, is a play within a play within a play that pokes loving fun at regional productions in towns no one has ever heard of. It is full of pratfalls, ego, petty jealousies, and clandestine affairs.
Lloyd Dallas, company director, is determined to get his production of “Nothing On” on its feet before he goes off to mount a backwater staging of “Richard III.” “Nothing On” is led by the formidable Dotty Otley, a soap star getting up in years who is counting on this play to jumpstart her fading career. Dotty, starring as Mrs. Clackett, plays the family retainer who has been left in charge of the Brent mansion while her employers reside in Spain for tax purposes. It’s her day off, but she’s decided to stay and watch the Queen’s something or other on the telly. Her presence where she isn’t supposed to be sets off a tsunami of misunderstandings.
Roger Tramlemain, the estate agent who is in charge of the rental while the Brents are in Spain, arrives with dim bulb bimbo Vicki who has been led to believe that Roger owns the house. She’s counting on nooky during her lunch break and he’s eager to accommodate her. Imagine his surprise when he finds Mrs. Clackett, just settling down to a plate of sardines. (Never before has the lowly sardine been so prominently featured.) With Mrs. Clackett there, he must keep Vicki hidden and soon resorts to shoving her into various upstairs rooms and closets. Soon, other surprise visitors appear. Mr. and Mrs. Brent have snuck back into the country to celebrate their anniversary, something that could have disastrous tax implications, They, too, assumed Mrs. Clackett would be away.
Act One is the technical rehearsal of “Nothing On,” and Lloyd Dallas is having a devil of a time getting the actors to remember their cues, their lines and their props. This rehearsal is an unmitigated disaster, and doors that should open don’t and doors that shouldn’t, do. Like any farce, it is a play of doors opening and closing, mistaken identities and proper timing. “Nothing On” gets nothing right, making the upcoming opening of the play rather problematic, even if it is in the tiny village of Weston-super-Mare. That this is the beginning of a roadshow of off-off-off-West End village theaters does not bode well for the tour.
Act Two, mid-tour, takes us behind the stage as the actors wait for their cues and reveal the machinations and illicit affairs of the director and several of the cast members. Their arguments and criticisms of each other are less than soto voce and can be heard not just on stage but also in the audience (the very definition of “noises off).
Act Three, at the end of the tour, is back on stage, facing the audience, where the petty jealousies, affairs and rivalries (mainly romantic) have taken a final toll and nothing goes right with the play as things come crashing down around the actors, literally and figuratively.
“Noises Off” is as much about a play (“Noises Off”) within a play (the production of “Nothing On”) within a play (“Nothing On”) as it is a tribute to all the actors and producers of small-town theater that share the same difficulties as major productions. His characters are all types, and none too subtle, and the three acts illustrate the adage that familiarity breeds contempt, open hostility, and lots and lots of sardines.
The actors are definitely having fun playing actors playing actors playing actors, and trying to keep all the mayhem moving to its inexorable end. This production, transferred almost intact from the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago, is directed by Anna D. Shapiro, a Tony winner who understands what farce is and employs her excellent cast to good effect.
Dotty Otley as Mrs. Clackett, played knowingly by Ora Jones, is the star who needs a success to reestablish her fading career. Lloyd Dallas (Rick Holmes) has pretensions of grandeur with his Cambridge literature degree and minor success directing Shakespeare in unremarkable locales. Amanda Fink as Brooke Adams/Vicki is really good at being bad, not as easy as you would think; and David Lind playing Garry Lejeune playing Roger Tramplemain is tasked with making sure his Roger and Garry roles intersect into believable jealousy and pratfalls. The rest of the cast keeps the wheels moving while the gears continue to jam. The set, designed by Todd Rosenthal, is a masterpiece of moving parts, going from front of house to backstage and back to the front of house stage in the final act.
There were plenty of laughs and the audience was definitely enjoying this production. Frayn has written a good farce but often misses the mark by piling on too many incidents and coincidences. The play within a play within a play is a novel concept and is tailor-made for farce but the plot is a bit thin, using incident upon incident to drive the play until, at the inventive end, it collapses upon itself. Noel Coward in “Present Laughter” was a master at opening and closing doors and Alan Ayckbourn, arguably the most successful and accomplished farceur of the last 50 years, made adept use of backstage shenanigans in “A Chorus of Disapproval,” about an amateur operatic society production that upends the best intentions of its local director. Interestingly, the most successful farces have an undercurrent of sadness that serves to heighten the comedy and adds necessary depth. “Noises Off” gets almost everything right, but the depth is missing, an inadequacy of the play not the actors.
“Noises Off” is meant to be enjoyed for what it is—a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing but fun.
Now playing at the Geffen Playhouse through March 9. Performances take place Wednesday through Sunday with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Runtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes including two intermissions. The Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles.
