Noises Off
Thu, 11 Sept 2003, 01:53 amWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Noises Off
Thu, 11 Sept 2003, 01:53 amWHAT: Noises Off
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 10
WHERE: GRADS, Dolphin Theatre, UWA Campus, Nedlands (WA)
When I see a great movie, I like to recommend it to my friends (ok, family; alright, people whose email addresses I have). It's the same with plays, however I'm able to reach a larger audience through this webpage. Sometimes I just don't have the time (we all have productions of our own) but as well as thanking those who provided me with an evening's entertainment, the main reason I write reviews is to let people know I saw something worth seeing.
Noises Off is worth seeing.
The play opens on a English Country home. We soon learn we're watching a Dress Rehearsal for A British farce called "Nothing On". It's after midnight, the play opens tomorrow (sorry, today!) and, ahem, nothing's right.
Act 2, and we're into the run. Astonishingly (and I mean ASTONISHINGLY), the entire set has been reversed. We now see the backstage area, all the scaffolding and gaffa tape, and we watch the "actors" milling around preparing for their "entrances". Amongst the cast, things have not gotten better. Relationships and rivalries are near the breaking point, threatening to deep-six the production.
Act 3 - further into the run. The set has swung around again and we're back in the English Country home. Have things gotten any better? Would this be a comedy if they had?
It's impeccable. Everything's great. EveryONE's great. It's hilarious and exhausting and my throat is hoarse from laughing so much. I don't know what more I can say. I don't want to single anyone out - in fact I can't. Thank you to the entire cast:
Patrick Spicer plays the director with the patience of a Saint, but even Saints have limits. Giovanni Bartuccio literally shakes with barely-contained rage as things go from bad to worse. Tony Petani is wont to freeze, practically on the verge of tears. Andie Wafer desperately tries to get things back on track even though it's like trying to push @!#$ uphill with a toothpick. Leah Maher continues on blissfully, robotically oblivious to the chaos, incapable of the most rudimentary improvisation. Clare Wilson is so fed up she can barely contain her contempt. David Goodall lives in his own little universe. Tom Rees as the SM desperately tries to cover for the escalating chaos, despite not having slept for 48 hours. Angela Trevithick-Webb as the ASM has raised nervousness and timidity to Olympic levels.
As a play for the general public, it's hilarious. For a theatre audience it's at once horrific (everything that can go wrong, does) and mesmerising. There was SO MUCH going on (especially in Act 2) that I nearly strained my neck trying to catch it all. It's probably better to sit further back from the stage so that you can take in the panorama, rather than sitting in the front rows and sawing your own head off by rapid to-ing and fro-ing.
Unaccustomed as I am to mentioning a lady's unmentionables, this play had me agog. Despite (or more likely because of) nothing being particularly overt, Noises Off had some of the sexiest scenes I've ever seen on stage. Oftentimes less really is more. (Sidebar: In real life I am a consultant. It's nice to be recognised as such.)
I only have two complaints. The front of house was terribly under-organised. One chap working in the bar (joined later by a colleague) had a queue of customers the length of the foyer. The auditorium wasn't even half full (unfortunately for this excellent production) yet it took me over five minutes to get two cups of scalding tea. It was nowhere near drinkable by the time we were urgently herded back in for Act 2.
The timing of the season could have been better. Week 2 will clash with the South-West Drama Festival. Whose bright idea was THAT?
Um, my vested interests: Two of the cast members are friends of mine. I've met another of the cast, and I've also met the director. The stage manager is one of my best friends. I'm not a GRADS member, nor have I ever been in one of their shows, but I am friends with several people involved, including the President and especially the Secretary. I paid $30 for two tickets on opening night and I would GLADLY do so again.
Noises Off is worth seeing, in fact, I want to go and see it again. Go and see it early in the run (before the set falls down), because once word gets around, tickets will be scarce.
Thank you to GRADS, director Stephen Lee, and everyone involved.
JB
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 10
WHERE: GRADS, Dolphin Theatre, UWA Campus, Nedlands (WA)
When I see a great movie, I like to recommend it to my friends (ok, family; alright, people whose email addresses I have). It's the same with plays, however I'm able to reach a larger audience through this webpage. Sometimes I just don't have the time (we all have productions of our own) but as well as thanking those who provided me with an evening's entertainment, the main reason I write reviews is to let people know I saw something worth seeing.
Noises Off is worth seeing.
The play opens on a English Country home. We soon learn we're watching a Dress Rehearsal for A British farce called "Nothing On". It's after midnight, the play opens tomorrow (sorry, today!) and, ahem, nothing's right.
Act 2, and we're into the run. Astonishingly (and I mean ASTONISHINGLY), the entire set has been reversed. We now see the backstage area, all the scaffolding and gaffa tape, and we watch the "actors" milling around preparing for their "entrances". Amongst the cast, things have not gotten better. Relationships and rivalries are near the breaking point, threatening to deep-six the production.
Act 3 - further into the run. The set has swung around again and we're back in the English Country home. Have things gotten any better? Would this be a comedy if they had?
It's impeccable. Everything's great. EveryONE's great. It's hilarious and exhausting and my throat is hoarse from laughing so much. I don't know what more I can say. I don't want to single anyone out - in fact I can't. Thank you to the entire cast:
Patrick Spicer plays the director with the patience of a Saint, but even Saints have limits. Giovanni Bartuccio literally shakes with barely-contained rage as things go from bad to worse. Tony Petani is wont to freeze, practically on the verge of tears. Andie Wafer desperately tries to get things back on track even though it's like trying to push @!#$ uphill with a toothpick. Leah Maher continues on blissfully, robotically oblivious to the chaos, incapable of the most rudimentary improvisation. Clare Wilson is so fed up she can barely contain her contempt. David Goodall lives in his own little universe. Tom Rees as the SM desperately tries to cover for the escalating chaos, despite not having slept for 48 hours. Angela Trevithick-Webb as the ASM has raised nervousness and timidity to Olympic levels.
As a play for the general public, it's hilarious. For a theatre audience it's at once horrific (everything that can go wrong, does) and mesmerising. There was SO MUCH going on (especially in Act 2) that I nearly strained my neck trying to catch it all. It's probably better to sit further back from the stage so that you can take in the panorama, rather than sitting in the front rows and sawing your own head off by rapid to-ing and fro-ing.
Unaccustomed as I am to mentioning a lady's unmentionables, this play had me agog. Despite (or more likely because of) nothing being particularly overt, Noises Off had some of the sexiest scenes I've ever seen on stage. Oftentimes less really is more. (Sidebar: In real life I am a consultant. It's nice to be recognised as such.)
I only have two complaints. The front of house was terribly under-organised. One chap working in the bar (joined later by a colleague) had a queue of customers the length of the foyer. The auditorium wasn't even half full (unfortunately for this excellent production) yet it took me over five minutes to get two cups of scalding tea. It was nowhere near drinkable by the time we were urgently herded back in for Act 2.
The timing of the season could have been better. Week 2 will clash with the South-West Drama Festival. Whose bright idea was THAT?
Um, my vested interests: Two of the cast members are friends of mine. I've met another of the cast, and I've also met the director. The stage manager is one of my best friends. I'm not a GRADS member, nor have I ever been in one of their shows, but I am friends with several people involved, including the President and especially the Secretary. I paid $30 for two tickets on opening night and I would GLADLY do so again.
Noises Off is worth seeing, in fact, I want to go and see it again. Go and see it early in the run (before the set falls down), because once word gets around, tickets will be scarce.
Thank you to GRADS, director Stephen Lee, and everyone involved.
JB
Walter PlingeThu, 11 Sept 2003, 01:53 am
WHAT: Noises Off
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 10
WHERE: GRADS, Dolphin Theatre, UWA Campus, Nedlands (WA)
When I see a great movie, I like to recommend it to my friends (ok, family; alright, people whose email addresses I have). It's the same with plays, however I'm able to reach a larger audience through this webpage. Sometimes I just don't have the time (we all have productions of our own) but as well as thanking those who provided me with an evening's entertainment, the main reason I write reviews is to let people know I saw something worth seeing.
Noises Off is worth seeing.
The play opens on a English Country home. We soon learn we're watching a Dress Rehearsal for A British farce called "Nothing On". It's after midnight, the play opens tomorrow (sorry, today!) and, ahem, nothing's right.
Act 2, and we're into the run. Astonishingly (and I mean ASTONISHINGLY), the entire set has been reversed. We now see the backstage area, all the scaffolding and gaffa tape, and we watch the "actors" milling around preparing for their "entrances". Amongst the cast, things have not gotten better. Relationships and rivalries are near the breaking point, threatening to deep-six the production.
Act 3 - further into the run. The set has swung around again and we're back in the English Country home. Have things gotten any better? Would this be a comedy if they had?
It's impeccable. Everything's great. EveryONE's great. It's hilarious and exhausting and my throat is hoarse from laughing so much. I don't know what more I can say. I don't want to single anyone out - in fact I can't. Thank you to the entire cast:
Patrick Spicer plays the director with the patience of a Saint, but even Saints have limits. Giovanni Bartuccio literally shakes with barely-contained rage as things go from bad to worse. Tony Petani is wont to freeze, practically on the verge of tears. Andie Wafer desperately tries to get things back on track even though it's like trying to push @!#$ uphill with a toothpick. Leah Maher continues on blissfully, robotically oblivious to the chaos, incapable of the most rudimentary improvisation. Clare Wilson is so fed up she can barely contain her contempt. David Goodall lives in his own little universe. Tom Rees as the SM desperately tries to cover for the escalating chaos, despite not having slept for 48 hours. Angela Trevithick-Webb as the ASM has raised nervousness and timidity to Olympic levels.
As a play for the general public, it's hilarious. For a theatre audience it's at once horrific (everything that can go wrong, does) and mesmerising. There was SO MUCH going on (especially in Act 2) that I nearly strained my neck trying to catch it all. It's probably better to sit further back from the stage so that you can take in the panorama, rather than sitting in the front rows and sawing your own head off by rapid to-ing and fro-ing.
Unaccustomed as I am to mentioning a lady's unmentionables, this play had me agog. Despite (or more likely because of) nothing being particularly overt, Noises Off had some of the sexiest scenes I've ever seen on stage. Oftentimes less really is more. (Sidebar: In real life I am a consultant. It's nice to be recognised as such.)
I only have two complaints. The front of house was terribly under-organised. One chap working in the bar (joined later by a colleague) had a queue of customers the length of the foyer. The auditorium wasn't even half full (unfortunately for this excellent production) yet it took me over five minutes to get two cups of scalding tea. It was nowhere near drinkable by the time we were urgently herded back in for Act 2.
The timing of the season could have been better. Week 2 will clash with the South-West Drama Festival. Whose bright idea was THAT?
Um, my vested interests: Two of the cast members are friends of mine. I've met another of the cast, and I've also met the director. The stage manager is one of my best friends. I'm not a GRADS member, nor have I ever been in one of their shows, but I am friends with several people involved, including the President and especially the Secretary. I paid $30 for two tickets on opening night and I would GLADLY do so again.
Noises Off is worth seeing, in fact, I want to go and see it again. Go and see it early in the run (before the set falls down), because once word gets around, tickets will be scarce.
Thank you to GRADS, director Stephen Lee, and everyone involved.
JB
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 10
WHERE: GRADS, Dolphin Theatre, UWA Campus, Nedlands (WA)
When I see a great movie, I like to recommend it to my friends (ok, family; alright, people whose email addresses I have). It's the same with plays, however I'm able to reach a larger audience through this webpage. Sometimes I just don't have the time (we all have productions of our own) but as well as thanking those who provided me with an evening's entertainment, the main reason I write reviews is to let people know I saw something worth seeing.
Noises Off is worth seeing.
The play opens on a English Country home. We soon learn we're watching a Dress Rehearsal for A British farce called "Nothing On". It's after midnight, the play opens tomorrow (sorry, today!) and, ahem, nothing's right.
Act 2, and we're into the run. Astonishingly (and I mean ASTONISHINGLY), the entire set has been reversed. We now see the backstage area, all the scaffolding and gaffa tape, and we watch the "actors" milling around preparing for their "entrances". Amongst the cast, things have not gotten better. Relationships and rivalries are near the breaking point, threatening to deep-six the production.
Act 3 - further into the run. The set has swung around again and we're back in the English Country home. Have things gotten any better? Would this be a comedy if they had?
It's impeccable. Everything's great. EveryONE's great. It's hilarious and exhausting and my throat is hoarse from laughing so much. I don't know what more I can say. I don't want to single anyone out - in fact I can't. Thank you to the entire cast:
Patrick Spicer plays the director with the patience of a Saint, but even Saints have limits. Giovanni Bartuccio literally shakes with barely-contained rage as things go from bad to worse. Tony Petani is wont to freeze, practically on the verge of tears. Andie Wafer desperately tries to get things back on track even though it's like trying to push @!#$ uphill with a toothpick. Leah Maher continues on blissfully, robotically oblivious to the chaos, incapable of the most rudimentary improvisation. Clare Wilson is so fed up she can barely contain her contempt. David Goodall lives in his own little universe. Tom Rees as the SM desperately tries to cover for the escalating chaos, despite not having slept for 48 hours. Angela Trevithick-Webb as the ASM has raised nervousness and timidity to Olympic levels.
As a play for the general public, it's hilarious. For a theatre audience it's at once horrific (everything that can go wrong, does) and mesmerising. There was SO MUCH going on (especially in Act 2) that I nearly strained my neck trying to catch it all. It's probably better to sit further back from the stage so that you can take in the panorama, rather than sitting in the front rows and sawing your own head off by rapid to-ing and fro-ing.
Unaccustomed as I am to mentioning a lady's unmentionables, this play had me agog. Despite (or more likely because of) nothing being particularly overt, Noises Off had some of the sexiest scenes I've ever seen on stage. Oftentimes less really is more. (Sidebar: In real life I am a consultant. It's nice to be recognised as such.)
I only have two complaints. The front of house was terribly under-organised. One chap working in the bar (joined later by a colleague) had a queue of customers the length of the foyer. The auditorium wasn't even half full (unfortunately for this excellent production) yet it took me over five minutes to get two cups of scalding tea. It was nowhere near drinkable by the time we were urgently herded back in for Act 2.
The timing of the season could have been better. Week 2 will clash with the South-West Drama Festival. Whose bright idea was THAT?
Um, my vested interests: Two of the cast members are friends of mine. I've met another of the cast, and I've also met the director. The stage manager is one of my best friends. I'm not a GRADS member, nor have I ever been in one of their shows, but I am friends with several people involved, including the President and especially the Secretary. I paid $30 for two tickets on opening night and I would GLADLY do so again.
Noises Off is worth seeing, in fact, I want to go and see it again. Go and see it early in the run (before the set falls down), because once word gets around, tickets will be scarce.
Thank you to GRADS, director Stephen Lee, and everyone involved.
JB