Noises Off

Well Noises Off is widely considered the funniest play ever written and, although I am not a big fan of it personally, I have to concede that last night’s performance was certainly the funniest I have seen. 5pounds repertory company found every one of the playwright’s intended laughs, and created a whole lot more that he could never have foreseen.

Basically this play about a play hinges on sardines and doors, and the bizarre relationships within a repertory company. Director Jason Cavanagh chooses to play his actors as themselves rather than characters, despite keeping all the original characters of the play intact. It’s helped by the fact that Cavanagh, as Director, plays the Director, Jason, in the play and works most of the first act from the audience of the tiny theatre. The audience is never quite sure if it’s the director, or the actor playing the director, speaking (are you still following me?). It’s a brilliant move which adds an entirely new level of credibility to the play, especially when Brendan (the very funny Brendan Hawke) asks about motivation for a scripted move and the director concedes with frustration that he has no idea what the writer was thinking of. All my qualms went out the window, and I really believed this play for the first time in many viewings. Cavanagh himself is superb, as expected. It’s worth a long trip to see this man act. Tim Wotherspoon is brilliant, every nuance, every movement of the eyes, his physical timing, are comic perfection…His exit line, once the play is over and calls have been taken, “how f**king embarrassing,” had us howling and wondering if we had indeed just seen the dress rehearsal. Freya Pragt was totally believable as “herself” playing the housekeeper with a love/hate relationship with props..especially plates of sardines, and the lovely Lelda Kapsis brought marvellous warmth to the stage. The fifth member of the repertory company, Keith Brockett, is a revelation. Where the play calls for an old drunk to play the burglar who drinks everything in sight, Cavanagh avoids “aging” his actor and instead makes the burglar Asian – to fit Brockett’s ethnicity and (very politically un-correctly) makes him an Asian who misunderstands English, rather than being deaf; another inspired move.

The second act is always a problem because it takes place backstage – and generally lacks credibility. But this performance space is so tiny that the cast virtually has to climb over each other. The mayhem  that ensues is enough to make wet pants an inevitability as cast rush in and out of the room, past the audience, looking for each other. The added performances of Cavanagh, Colin Craig (who served our drinks and also worked front of house) Sharon Davis, the Stage Manager (all working as themselves) were exemplary and Jessica Hackett as Vicky was faultless.

This is theatre at its best…full of passion and enthusiasm; innovation and commitment; and extraordinary talent. Go, if only to remind yourself that real theatre isn’t dependent on huge budgets or fancy sets.

Coral Drouyn

Read more about the 5Pounds Repertory season