Review: Noises off at The Lowry is ‘outlandish, hilarious and witty’

Theatre Royal Bath Productions bring Noises Off to the stage at The Lowry Theatre.

Noises Off at The Lowry

A comedy within a comedy, Noises Off’s ensemble cast offers a fantastically funny journey into a farcical comedy and shows how funny a play can be when things don’t go to plan and how laughs can be found both on stage and behind the scenes.

Reminiscent of the Carry On Films

Act One follows the last rehearsal of the production of Nothing On, a bawdy comedic farce reminiscent of Carry-On films of years past.

The show begins with Dotty Otley (Liza Goddard) struggling with her props as the ever-stressed director Lloyd Dallas (Simon Shepherd) trying often in vain to get Dotty and his other stars, Garry Lejuene (Dan Fredenburgh), Brooke Ashton (Lisa Ambalavanar), Frederick Fellowes (Simon Coates), Belinda Belair (Lucy Robinson) and Selsdon Mowbray (Matthew Kelly) to follow the script to his exact specifications.

Hilarious Results

Lloyd is helped by stage assistants and understudies Poppy Norton-Taylor (Nikita Lesler) and Tim Allgood (Daniel Rainford) with hilarious results as the rehearsal is interrupted with lines forgotten, missing actors and contact lenses as the director tries to keep his sanity while the actors challenge his grand vision and their own lives keep getting in the way of the play.

Act two follows the same play on its matinee showing but this time the audience is instead treated to the goings on behind the stage as the actors’ entanglements threaten to unravel the show in more outlandish ways than the play they’re performing!

The third act deals with the play’s final showing, where the actors’ relationships are almost at breaking point making for an interesting watch as the play takes a turn to the absurd that leaves the audience never knowing what’s going to happen next as the show is barely held together by the exasperated cast.

While the play within a play structure might seem off-putting at first to some casual theatre fans, there is enough comedy on hand from an incredibly talented ensemble cast that all get chances to shine to keep the audience’s attention fixed on the stage.

The characters constantly entertain with their non-stop slapstick action and witty humour (written by Michael Frayn).

Well Paced and Hilarious

The show is well paced and the jokes never outstay their welcome.

Each act provides the same play but from a different perspective that always feels fresh and just flows by until the curtain comes down spectacularly in the final act.

The set design is a real strength of the show particularly in the second act where the set is turned around and the audience sees the play being performed from behind the scenes.

A Comedy of Errors

Directed by Lindsay Posner, Noises Off is a comedy of errors played to perfection as the audience delights as the show progressively goes off the rails in increasingly hilarious ways, in this laugh-out-loud comedy classic.

Noises Off is in theatres until Saturday 21st of October and tickets can be ordered here