Noises Off!

To tell you the truth, it doesn’t seem five minutes since I left my excessively moist seat after the curtain fell on the pant-wettingly funny  production of the musical ‘Spamalot’. The Watlington Players, who seldom drop below a fairly high standard had raised themselves up into the damp-stained, suspended ceiling of Watlington Village Hall to deliver one of the best musicals of the year. If I am honest the electricity they created with ‘Spamalot’ could still be felt as I returned to that wonderful venue for my all-time favourite farce, Michael Frayn’s masterpiece, ‘Noises Off’.
Rather oddly, there was no sense of “how do you follow that?” All the nervous anticipation was about taking on such a difficult, and  iconic, piece of madness. Just like Director Penny Cooke, I have seen this play many times and across a variety of standards but the actual play itself is undeniably brilliant. The action (and I really do mean action) centres around a fictional production of  “Nothing On” a classic Whitehall style farce with an ensemble of fading actors and actresses towards the end of their careers. The actual production is beautifully constructed in 3 acts. The first being an audience eye view of a dress rehearsal, the second a backstage view of a touring production and finally another professional performance but this time from the audiences perspective. There are (inevitably) love tangles and artistic differences and changes in personal dynamics …and lots of slapstick and silliness!
The set (design and construction by Tom Powell) was breath-taking! Assembled on three very distinct levels, it gave both height and the suggestion of depth, allowing the genius of this play to be really defined. It took quite a bashing on this opening night but stood strong, even supporting a cascading Tom Tree as he threw himself into oblivion from the upper storey. The turning of the set is pivotal to this title (Tom Powell, Debbie Bennett, Richard Bennett and Matthew Kerslake) and has to be done twice. The first time I was so busy chatting with friends I missed the whole thing but had the forethought to time the second turn which came in at a shade under eight and a half minutes. As good as it gets I would say! Sound and light (Tom Powell and Ben Robinson) were both just fine with just the hint of feedback hum lurking through the first act. Costumes (Judy Parsons of course, assisted by the cast) were everything they needed to be with incidental props (Mandi Field, Margaret Mould, Terry Cook and Chris Bailey causing me no offence whatsoever.

This is such an ensemble piece that it doesn’t really break down to supporting cast and principles. Even the smaller parts are important and so I shall treat this talented group with equal contempt across all. In truth, no contempt is required as they were all excellent. It was great to see James Golder back on stage, even in one of the less central roles. His portrayal of Tim, the Stage Manager was delightful. The same can also be said of Jenny Lewis, who is a mighty talent but not at all my first choice for this delicate part. I think of Mrs Lewis as more gregarious, which is probably a throwback to her brilliant performance as Maxine in ‘Stepping Out’. Needless-to-say, she proved me wrong and reaffirmed her own versatility by using every understated minute on stage to great effect. I know I say this every time but Allan Lord has just completely found himself! I niggled him a bit a few years back and now I am a massive fan. In this production he took the peripheral role of Selsdon, the 70 year old alcoholic trooper and turned it into one of the biggest perfomances in the show. The way he showed the difference between Selsdon the actor and Selsdon the actor acting in a play demonstrated a distinction no- one else in the cast could quite match.
In the role of Belinda (Flavia), Lou Golder was on top form as usual. Her energy in the crazy second act was priceless and quiet exhausting even to those of us just watching. As my second favourite Watlington girl in lingerie, Megan Abbott as Brooke (Vicki) was also very much on top of her game. Miss Abbott is a fine actress and, although this role is not overly central, she did not put a stockinged foot wrong. I haven’t seen Kay Crome here since her own brilliant work in ‘Stepping Out’, and on this night she was difficult to fault, getting laughs from her lines as well as her physical characterisation.
I just love that man Brammer! He collared me before the performance to defend his recent over-exposure in fear of a ‘Maustin style’ NODA “savaging”.  I tell him now what I told him then, you just can’t have too much! Mr Brammer seems to understand his range and (with the possible exception of a recent dubious dalliance with pantomime) is always within it. He was indeed “peerless” in Spamalot, and he would have been my first, second and third choices for the role of the harassed, womanising Director, Lloyd. His simple characterisation was perfection.
This review has taken longer than expected as it was the first time I actually got to read the programme notes. I have not the slightest idea who wrote them, but I cried with laughter. The funniest and most pertinent to me were comments attributed to amateur acting colossus, Matthew Austin. For his benefit and anyone else who read his ‘resume’ I include in this review my “scathing” review of his performance in Spamalot :
“He may have been always getting his teeth done, getting married, having babies or washing his hair but I haven’t half missed Matthew Austin. He had become just a little over-exposed back then …and the rest he has taken made it all the more exciting to see him back. The wackiest of all the roles in this production was Tim the Enchanter, but it was Mr Austin's French Taunter that brought the house down! The man has such great comic timing and an in-built sense of the preposterous, both talents he used to their best advantage with these two unforgettable cameos.”

I apologise for the harsh words Maustin, but I am afraid I have some more. In amongst the mayhem of Noises Off it is so easy to lose a part like Freddie (Philip.) It would be even easier to overplay the part to keep up with the louder performances and drive all the subtlety into the wings. It almost goes without saying that brilliant Mr Austin did neither. His delicate characterisation delivered the best laughs when required, and made hilarious comic capital where the script gave him nothing! His Act III depression made me cry with laughter every time he came on stage. Is it just me, or do we need to see a lot more of this talented young man? (!!!)
I could so easily have given penultimate paragraph honours to Matt Austin and slept soundly in my bed, but instead, I have to lean towards Tom Tree as leading man Gary (Roger). I loved the way Mr Tree split his characters, allowing me to recognise both, and his energy and skill with the slapstick was impressive. This part carries the weight of the play’s cleverly conceived mechanics and whoever takes on the part must be solid with their lines, moves and be able to visualise the role from different directions. Mr Tree achieved all these things and used his ever-improving comic timing to get every available laugh, verbal or otherwise. In an almost split decision with Mr Austin, it was the stunt-fall down the stairs that swung the vote his way. It was, without a single doubt, the finest amateur stunt-fall I have ever seen on stage and caused the most audible sharp intake of audience breath I can recall. Mr Tree will no doubt have months of physiotherapy to reflect on the wisdom of this manoeuvre, but for me, it was worth the ticket price on its own.
To do the job of a NODA rep you have to be completely up yourself! I admit that, but I try to keep my arrogance to a minimum especially in and around Watlington where everyone mocks me openly! I mention this because my hat is off completely to Director, Penny Cooke, who took on a job I could never do. Directing this play is totally beyond my ability but she brought it home safely and in one beautiful piece (two, if you include David Brammer’s toe). Opening night nerves take many forms and, whilst criticisms were few, I would say that the second act was so frenetic, some of the more subtle nuances relating to delivering the play from two angles were lost. I am certain things relaxed a little later in the run and in the grand scheme it was a very small fault. The momentum continues out in the Grand Duchy of Watlington. So, Mr Kerslake….what next?

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