Noises Off

The Tea Tree Players present an impressively spirited and technically inventive take on Michael Frayn’s much beloved meta comedy, which chronicles a dysfunctional theatre troupe’s accident prone attempts to stage a second rate bedroom farce .

Noises Off is usually performed on an expansive, multi-level set but director Robert Andrews has done a great job of thinking outside the square in terms of choreographing the various slapstick hijinks, ensuring that the play works in a smaller performance space. Don Stuart’s set may be more modestly scaled than is typical for performances of this material, but is nonetheless striking in its visual detail and use of colour, as are the costumes, many of them contributed by members of the cast.

It serves as a reminder that the enduring appeal of Noises Off lies not in its visual spectacle, but in Frayn’s snappy dialogue, wildly unpredictable incorporation of Murphy’s Law into physical comedy and his authentic depiction of both showbiz personalities and prevailing genre stereotypes.  Given such rich material to work with, the cast attack their roles with gusto.

Andrew Dowling’s simmering fury as the short-tempered director is genuinely unnerving, though one can’t help but feel for his exasperation with the rest of the cast. David Kinna’s socially inept leading man exudes confidence “onstage”, but seems to struggle forming coherent sentences when speaking to people in the “real world”. Amber Platten is all pouting vanity as a childish glamourpuss whose looks far exceed her dramatic range, whilst Adrian Heness, as a theatrical neophyte, is often painfully earnest. Georgia Stockham’s embittered diva and John Matsen’s befuddled alcoholic seem to be in a world of their own half the time, and their otherworldly mannerisms are hilarious to behold. Tina Cini (as the one sane actor), Damon Hill and Rhiannon Shapcott (as the two long suffering stage hands) are all adorably woobie-ish. Hill in particular has perfected the look of a lost puppy dog that has been kicked around too many times, and frequently had the audience in fits of laughter simply by fixing them with his sad, forlorn stare.

For anyone who has worked behind the scenes in theatre, or anyone who has struggled to get a job done in the midst of difficult personalities Noises Off is a hoot, and this production has charm and energy enough to compensate for its lack of production largesse.

Benjamin Orchard

Images: Andrew Dowling, John Matsen, Georgia Stockham, David Kinna, Tina Cini, Amber Platten and Adrian Heness, & Daid Kinna, Amber Platten, John Matsen, Andrew Dowling, Adrian Heness, Damon Hill, Tina Cini and Geogia Stockham.