Editing Noises Off

{{Short description|1982 play written by Michael Frayn}}
{{for|the film adaptation|Noises Off (film)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox play
| name       = Noises Off
| image      = NoisesOff.jpg
| caption    = Poster for the 2001 Broadway revival
| writer     = [[Michael Frayn]]
| characters =  Garry Lejeune<br>Dotty Otley<br>Lloyd Dallas<br>Belinda Blair<br>Frederick Fellowes<br>Brooke Ashton<br>Tim Allgood<br>Selsdon Mowbray<br>Poppy Norton-Taylor
| setting    =
| premiere   = 1982
| place      = [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre]], London
| orig_lang  = English
| subject    = [[Play within a play]]
| genre      = Comedy
}}

'''''Noises Off''''' is a 1982 [[farce]] by the English playwright [[Michael Frayn]].

Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of ''[[The Two of Us (play)|The Two of Us]]'', a [[farce]] that he had written for [[Lynn Redgrave]]. He said, "It was funnier from behind than in front, and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind."<ref>{{cite web|last=Mehlman|first=Barbara K.|title=A CurtainUp Review|url=http://www.curtainup.com/noisesoff.html |work=CurtainUp|access-date=18 September 2013}}</ref> The prototype, a short-lived one-act play called ''Exits'', was written and performed in 1977. At the request of his associate, [[Michael Codron]], Frayn expanded this into what would become ''Noises Off''. <span class="anchor" id="offstage"></span> It takes its title from the theatrical stage direction indicating sounds coming from offstage.

==Characters of ''Noises Off''==
*Lloyd Dallas: The director of a play-within-the-play, ''Nothing On''. Temperamental, exacting and sarcastic. Involved with both Brooke and Poppy.
*Dotty Otley: A middle-aged television star who is not only the top-billed star but also one of the play's principal investors. Dating the much younger Garry.   
*Garry Lejeune: The play's leading man, a solid actor who is completely incapable of finishing a sentence unless it is dialogue. Constantly stutters and ends sentences with "you know..." Dating Dotty and prone to jealousy.
*Brooke Ashton: A young, inexperienced actress from London. She pays no attention to others, either in performance or backstage, and persists in her role as scripted regardless of any interruption or mayhem. She is always losing her [[contact lens]]es, without which she is blind. Part of the Lloyd–Poppy–Brooke love triangle.
*Frederick (Freddie) Fellowes: Has a serious fear of violence and blood, both of which give him nosebleeds. Well-meaning, but lacks confidence and is rather dim-witted. 
*Belinda Blair: Cheerful and sensible, a reliable actress and the company's de facto peacemaker. Something of a gossip, and a bit two-faced. Has a rather protective attitude towards Freddie. 
*Selsdon Mowbray: An elderly, half-deaf "pro" with a long, storied career and a drinking problem. If he is not in sight while rehearsing, the stage crew must find him before he finds anything alcoholic. 
*Poppy Norton-Taylor: Assistant Stage Manager and understudy to the female roles. Emotional, skittish and over-sensitive. Part of the Lloyd-Poppy-Brooke love triangle and, by act two, pregnant with Lloyd's baby.
*Tim Allgood: The over-worked and easily flustered Stage Manager, who must understudy, fix the set and run Lloyd's errands on top of his usual duties.

==Characters of the play-within-the-play, ''Nothing On''==
*Mrs. Clackett (Dotty): The Cockney housekeeper for the Brents' home. A hospitable, though slow-witted and slow-moving, chatterbox.
*Roger Tramplemain (Garry): An estate agent looking to let Flavia's and Philip's house.
*Vicki (Brooke): A girl Roger is attempting to seduce (or perhaps a girl trying to seduce Roger). Works for the [[Inland Revenue|tax authorities]].
*Philip Brent (Freddie): Lives out of the country with his wife Flavia to [[Tax avoidance and tax evasion|avoid paying taxes]] and is on a secret visit.
*Flavia Brent (Belinda): Philip Brent's wife. She is dependable, though not one for household duties.
*Burglar (Selsdon): An old man in his seventies, breaking into the Brents' house.
*Sheikh (Freddie): Interested in renting the house.

==Plot==
Each of the three acts of ''Noises Off'' contains a performance of the first act of a [[play within a play]], a [[sex farce]] called ''Nothing On''. The three acts of ''Noises Off'' are each named "Act One" on the contents page of the script, though they are labelled normally in the body of the script, and the programme for ''Noises Off'' will include, provided by the author, a comprehensive programme for the Weston-super-Mare run of ''Nothing On'', including spoof advertisements (for sardines) and acknowledgments to the providers of mysterious props that do not actually appear (e.g. stethoscope, hospital trolley, and straitjacket). Nothing is seen of the rest of ''Nothing On'' except for the ending of its Act 2.

''Nothing On'' is the type of [[farce]] in which young girls run about in their underwear, old men drop their trousers, and many doors continually bang open and shut. It is set in "a delightful 16th-century [[posset]] mill",<ref>The fake programme for ''Nothing On'' provided by the script includes the nonsensical explanation: "In a posset-mill production was maintained throughout the year by allowing the milk to run into a heated curdling chamber where the flow of incoming ale or vinegar was ingeniously harnessed to operate a simple kind of theatrical thundersheet. The product was then packed in small 'yoggy pots' made from the scrota of wild yogs".</ref><ref>A [[posset]] was a medieval beverage made of curdled milk. See article on ''[[Round the Horne]]'', a 1960s radio show which made ''posset'' a humorous word in English comedy.</ref> modernised by the current owners and available to let while they are abroad; the fictional playwright is appropriately named Robin Housemonger.

Act One is set at the [[technical rehearsal]] at the (fictional) Grand Theatre in [[Weston-super-Mare]]. It is midnight, the night before the first performance and the cast are hopelessly unready. Baffled by entrances and exits, missed cues, missed lines, and bothersome props, including several plates of sardines, they drive Lloyd, their director, into a seething rage and back several times during the run.

Act Two shows a Wednesday matinée performance one month later,<ref>Multiple sources report that Act Two is set on opening night. The plot synopsis here describes the script published in 2000, in which Michael Frayn notes that the play has been rewritten at least seven times.</ref> at the Theatre Royal in [[Ashton-under-Lyne]]. (Designed by Frank Matcham in 1891, the Theatre Royal, Ashton-under-Lyne was demolished in 1963.) In this act, the play is seen from backstage, providing a view that emphasises the deteriorating relationships between the cast. Romantic rivalries, lovers' tiffs and personal quarrels lead to offstage shenanigans, onstage bedlam and the occasional attack with a fire axe.

Act Three depicts a performance near the end of the ten-week run, at the (fictional) Municipal Theatre in [[Stockton-on-Tees]]. Relationships between the cast have soured considerably, the set is breaking down and props are winding up in the wrong hands, on the floor, and in the way. The actors remain determined at all costs to cover up the mounting chaos, but it is not long before the plot has to be abandoned entirely and the more coherent characters are obliged to take a lead in [[ad-lib]]bing towards some sort of end.

Much of the comedy emerges from the subtle variations in each version as character flaws play off each other off-stage to undermine on-stage performance, with a great deal of [[slapstick]]. The contrast between players' on-stage and off-stage personalities is also a source of comic dissonance.

==Production history==
The play premièred at the [[Lyric Hammersmith|Lyric Theatre]], [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham|Hammersmith]], London in 1982, directed by [[Michael Blakemore]] and starring [[Patricia Routledge]], [[Paul Eddington]], and [[Nicky Henson]]. It opened to excellent reviews and shortly after transferred to the [[Savoy Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]], where it ran until 1987 with five successive casts. It won the [[Evening Standard Theatre Awards|''Evening Standard'' Award]] for Best Comedy.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-11-05 |title=Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1980-2003 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/evening-standard-theatre-awards-19802003-7299246.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref>

On 11 December 1983, a production directed again by Blakemore and starring [[Dorothy Loudon]], [[Victor Garber]], [[Brian Murray (actor)|Brian Murray]], [[Jim Piddock]], [[Deborah Rush]], [[Douglas Seale]], and [[Amy Wright]] opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre]], where it ran for 553 performances. It earned [[Tony Award]] nominations for Best Play and for Blakemore, Rush, and Seale, and won a [[Drama Desk Award]] for Outstanding Ensemble.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

''Noises Off'' has become a staple of both professional theatre companies and [[community theatre]]s on both sides of the Atlantic. On 5 October 2000, the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in London mounted a revival, directed by [[Jeremy Sams]] and starring [[Patricia Hodge]], [[Peter Egan]] and [[Aden Gillett]], that ran for two years, transferring to the [[Piccadilly Theatre]] in the West End on 14 May 2001 with [[Lynn Redgrave]] and [[Stephen Mangan]] replacing Hodge and Egan, respectively. Sams' production transferred to Broadway, again at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, on 1 November 2001, with [[Patti LuPone]], [[Peter Gallagher]], [[Faith Prince]], [[T. R. Knight]], and [[Katie Finneran]]. The production was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award as Best Revival of a Play, and Finneran was named Best Featured Actress by both groups.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Frayn has repeatedly rewritten the play over the years. The last revision was in 2000 at the request of Jeremy Sams. There are numerous differences between the 1982 and 2000 scripts. Some new sequences have been added (e.g., an introduction to Act Three, in which Tim, the Company Stage Manager, and Poppy, the Assistant Stage Manager, make simultaneous apologies – the former in front of the curtain, the latter over the PA – for the delay in the performance). Other sequences have been altered or cut entirely. References that tend to date the play (such as Mrs. Clackett's to the Brents having [[Color television|colour television]]) have been eliminated or rewritten.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

A London production ran from 3 December 2011 to 10 March 2012 at [[The Old Vic]], directed by [[Lindsay Posner]] and starring [[Jonathan Coy]], [[Janie Dee]], [[Robert Glenister]], [[Jamie Glover]], [[Celia Imrie]], [[Karl Johnson (actor)|Karl Johnson]], [[Aisling Loftus]], [[Amy Nuttall]] and [[Paul Ready]]. This production transferred to the [[Novello Theatre]] in the West End from 24 March to 30 June 2012, and then toured Britain and Ireland with a different cast.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

A Broadway revival, produced by [[Roundabout Theatre Company]], started in previews at the [[American Airlines Theatre]] on 17 December 2015, and opened on 14 January 2016. The cast featured [[Andrea Martin]] (Dotty Otley), [[Megan Hilty]] (Brooke Ashton), [[Campbell Scott]] (Lloyd Dallas), [[Jeremy Shamos]] (Frederick Fellowes), [[David Furr]] (Garry Lejeune), [[Rob McClure]] (Tim Allgood), [[Daniel Davis (actor)|Daniel Davis]] (Selsdon Mowbray), [[Kate Jennings Grant]] (Belinda Blair), and [[Tracee Chimo]] (Poppy Norton-Taylor).<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/backstage-comedy-noises-off-starring-andrea-martin-and-megan-hilty-returns-to-broadway-tonight-375785# "Backstage Comedy ''Noises Off'', Starring Andrea Martin and Megan Hilty, Returns to Broadway Tonight"], ''[[Playbill]]'', 17 December 2015</ref><ref>Staff. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/the-verdict-did-critics-open-the-dooror-slam-iton-broadways-noises-off-379648# "The Verdict: Did Critics Open the Door—or Slam It—on Broadway's ''Noises Off''?"], ''[[Playbill]]'', 14 January 2016</ref> The revival ran its limited run through 13 March 2016, extending by one week due to popular demand.<ref>Staff. [http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Roundabouts-NOISES-OFF-Extends-Broadway-Run-20160125 "Roundabout's ''Noises off'' Extends Broadway Run"], broadwayworld.com, 25 January 2016</ref> The production was nominated for 2016 [[Tony Award]]s for Best Revival of Play, Best Featured Actress for Martin and Hilty, Best Featured Actor for Furr, and Best Costume Design.<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/article/2016-tony-nominations-are-being-revealed# "See Full List of 2016 Tony Award Nominations"], ''[[Playbill]]'', 3 May 2016</ref>

An Australian production was mounted at the [[Queensland Performing Arts Centre]], where it ran for three weeks as part of [[Queensland Theatre Company|Queensland Theatre Company's]] 2017 season.<ref name=artsreview>[http://artsreview.com.au/noises-off/ ''Noises Off'' review"], ''Arts Review'', 6 June 2017</ref> After the season with QTC, the show then transferred to the [[Arts Centre Melbourne|Playhouse Theatre]], where it ran from 8 July to 12 August with [[Melbourne Theatre Company]].<ref name=artsreview /> The cast featured [[Simon Burke]] as Lloyd Dallas, Emily Goddard as Poppy Norton-Taylor, [[Libby Munro]] as Brooke Ashton, Ray Chong Nee as Garry Lejeune, Hugh Parker as Frederick Fellowes, James Saunders as Timothy Allgood, [[Louise Siversen]] as Dotty Otley, [[Steven Tandy]] as Selsdon Mowbray and [[Nicki Wendt]] as Belinda Blair.<ref>[http://www.mtc.com.au/about/the-company/archive/season-2017/noises-off/#unit-production-cast "''Noises Off'' production details], [[Melbourne Theatre Company]], 2017</ref> In Australia it has been produced many times and in many places from 1982 to 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AusStage: Noises Off|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/work/2042|access-date=2021-03-29|website=ausstage.edu.au}}</ref>

The play returned to the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith]] in a new production directed by [[Jeremy Herrin]] from 27 June to 3 August 2019, starring Lois Chimimba, [[Jonathan Cullen]], [[Debra Gillett]], Amy Morgan, [[Enyi Okoronkwo]], [[Lloyd Owen]], [[Daniel Rigby]], [[Simon Rouse]] and [[Meera Syal]]. The production transferred to the [[Garrick Theatre]] in [[London]]'s [[West End theatre|West End]] with [[Sarah Hadland]], [[Richard Henders]], [[Lisa McGrillis]], [[Anjli Mohindra]] and Adrian Richards replacing Gillet, Cullen, Morgan, Chimimba and Okoronkwo from the Hammersmith run from 27 September 2019 until 4 January 2020.

A 40th anniversary production directed by [[Lindsay Posner]] ran at the [[Phoenix Theatre, London]] from January to March 2023 (following a short UK tour in autumn 2022) starring [[Felicity Kendal]], [[Matthew Kelly]], [[Tracy-Ann Oberman]], [[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]], Sasha Frost, [[Joseph Millson]], [[Jonathan Coy]] Pepter Lunkuse and [[Hubert Burton]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Noises Off 40th Anniversary production stars Felicity Kendal|url=https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/noises-off-felicity-kendal|access-date=2022-03-17|website=londonboxoffice.co.uk}}</ref> The production also began a UK tour at the [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre|Birmingham Rep]] with Kelly, [[Liza Goddard]], [[Simon Shepherd]], [[Dan Fredenburgh]], [[Lisa Ambalavanar]], Nikhita Lesler, [[Simon Coates (actor)|Simon Coates]], [[Lucy Robinson (actress)|Lucy Robinson]] and Daniel Rainford from September 2023. The production also returned to the West End at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]] with Kendal, Coy and Hanson returning, joined by [[Mathew Horne]], [[Tamzin Outhwaite]], Oscar Batterham and [[James Fleet]] from September to December 2023.

== Notable casts ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! rowspan="2" |Role
!West End<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frayn |first=Michael |title=Noises Off |publisher=Samuel French, Inc. |year=1985 |isbn=0-573-61969-7 |location=Newy York, NY |pages=4}}</ref>
!Broadway<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noises Off – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/noises-off-4244#OpeningNightCast |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref>
!First West End Revival<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Noises Off by Michael Frayn on stage in London through to 4 January 2020 – theatre tickets and information – thisistheatre.com |url=https://www.thisistheatre.com/londonshows/noisesoff.html#2000 |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=thisistheatre.com}}</ref>
!First Broadway Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noises Off – Broadway Play – 2001 Revival {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/noises-off-13061#OpeningNightCast |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref>
!Second London Revival<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-08 |title=Noises Off – full cast announced at Old Vic |url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/noises-off-full-cast-announced-at-old-vic |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=London Theatre}}</ref>
!Second Broadway Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noises Off – Broadway Play – 2016 Revival {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/noises-off-501117 |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref>
!Third West End Revival<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darvill |first=Josh |date=2019-09-08 |title=Noises Off cast confirmed for 2019 West End production |url=https://stagechat.co.uk/news/west-end/4173-noises-off-cast-confirmed-for-2019-west-end-production.html |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Stage Chat}}</ref>
!Fourth West End Revival<ref>Phoenix Theatre programme</ref>
!Fifth West End Revival
|-
!<small>1982</small>
!<small>1983</small>
! colspan="2" |<small>2001</small>
!<small>2011</small>
!<small>2016</small>
!<small>2019</small>
!<small>2023</small>
!2023
|-
|'''Lloyd Dallas'''
|[[Paul Eddington]]
|[[Brian Murray (actor)|Brian Murray]]
|[[Peter Egan]]
|[[Peter Gallagher]]
|[[Robert Glenister]]
|[[Campbell Scott]]
|[[Lloyd Owen]]
| colspan="2" |[[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]]
|-
|'''Dotty Otley'''
|[[Patricia Routledge]]
|[[Dorothy Loudon]]
|[[Patricia Hodge]]
|[[Patti LuPone]]
|[[Celia Imrie]]
|[[Andrea Martin]]
|[[Meera Syal]]
| colspan="2" |[[Felicity Kendal]]
|-
|'''Garry Lejeune'''
|[[Nicky Henson]]
|[[Victor Garber]]
|[[Aden Gillett]]
|[[Thomas McCarthy (actor)|Thomas McCarthy]]
|[[Jamie Glover]]
|[[David Furr]]
|[[Daniel Rigby]]
|[[Joseph Millson]]
|[[Mathew Horne]]
|-
|'''Brooke Ashton'''
|Rowena Roberts
|[[Deborah Rush]]
|[[Natalie Walter]]
|[[Katie Finneran]]
|[[Amy Nuttall]]
|[[Megan Hilty]]
|[[Lisa McGrillis]]
| colspan="2" |Sasha Frost
|-
|'''Freddie Fellowes'''
|Tony Matthews
|[[Paxton Whitehead]]
|[[Jeff Rawle]]
|[[Edward Hibbert]]
|[[Jonathan Coy]]
|[[Jeremy Shamos]]
|[[Richard Henders]]
| colspan="2" |[[Jonathan Coy]]
|-
|'''Belinda Blair'''
|[[Jan Waters]]
|[[Linda Thorson]]
|[[Susie Blake]]
|[[Faith Prince]]
|[[Janie Dee]]
|[[Kate Jennings Grant]]
|[[Sarah Hadland]]
|[[Tracy-Ann Oberman]]
|[[Tamzin Outhwaite]]
|-
|'''Selsdon Mowbray'''
|[[Michael Aldridge]]
|[[Douglas Seale]]
|[[Christopher Benjamin (actor)|Christopher Benjamin]]
|[[Richard Easton]]
|[[Karl Johnson (actor)|Karl Johnson]]
|[[Daniel Davis (actor)|Daniel Davis]]
|[[Simon Rouse]]
| colspan="2" |[[Matthew Kelly]]
|-
|'''Poppy Norton-Taylor'''
|[[Yvonne Antrobus]]
|[[Amy Wright]]
|[[Selina Griffiths]]
|[[Robin Weigert]]
|[[Aisling Loftus]]
|[[Tracee Chimo]]
|[[Anjli Mohindra]]
|Pepter Lunkuse
|Pepter Lunkuse
|-
|'''Tim Allgood'''
|[[Roger Lloyd-Pack]]
|[[Jim Piddock]]
|[[Paul Thornley (actor)|Paul Thornley]]
|[[T. R. Knight]]
|[[Paul Ready]]
|[[Rob McClure]]
|Adrian Richards
|[[Hubert Burton]]
|Oscar Batterham
|}

=== Notable replacements ===

==== West End 1982 ====
Source:<ref name=":0" />
* '''Lloyd''': [[Benjamin Whitrow]]. 
* '''Dotty''': [[Phyllida Law]]. 
* '''Freddie''': [[John Quayle (actor)|John Quayle]]. 
* '''Belinda''': [[Gabrielle Drake]]. 
* '''Selsdon''': [[Robert Flemyng]]. 
* '''Tim''': [[Robert Bathurst]]

==== Broadway 1983 ====
Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noises Off – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/noises-off-4244#Replacements |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref>
* '''Lloyd''': [[Paul Hecht]]. 
* '''Dotty''': [[Carole Shelley]]. 
* '''Freddie''': [[Patrick Horgan (actor)|Patrick Horgan]]. 
* '''Belinda''': [[Concetta Tomei]]. 
* '''Selsdon''': [[George Hall (actor)|George Hall]]. 
* '''Tim''': [[Christian Clemenson]].

==== First West End Revival 2001 ====
Source:<ref name=":0" />
* '''Lloyd''': [[Philip Franks]], [[Nicholas Jones (actor)|Nicholas Jones]].  
* '''Dotty''': [[Selina Cadell]], [[Cheryl Campbell]], [[Lynn Redgrave]]. 
* '''Brooke''': [[Pandora Clifford]]. 
* '''Freddie''': [[Paul Bradley (English actor)|Paul Bradley]], [[Derek Griffiths]]. 
* '''Belinda''': [[Julia Deakin]]. 
* '''Selsdon''': [[Sylvester McCoy]], [[Malcolm Tierney]].

==== First Broadway Revival 2001 ====
Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noises Off – Broadway Play – 2001 Revival {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/noises-off-13061#Replacements |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref>
* '''Lloyd''': [[Leigh Lawson]]. 
* '''Dotty''': [[Jane Curtin]]. 
* '''Garry''': [[Paul Fitzgerald (actor)|Paul Fitzgerald]]. 
* '''Brooke''': [[Kali Rocha]]. 
* '''Belinda''': [[Kaitlin Hopkins]].

==Film adaptation==
{{main|Noises Off (film)}}
In 1992, the play was adapted for the screen by [[Marty Kaplan]]. The film, directed by [[Peter Bogdanovich]] and starring [[Carol Burnett]], [[Michael Caine]], [[Christopher Reeve]], [[John Ritter]], [[Nicollette Sheridan]], [[Denholm Elliott]], [[Julie Hagerty]], [[Mark Linn-Baker]] and [[Marilu Henner]], received mixed reviews, with many critics noting it was too much of a theatrical piece to translate well to the screen.<ref>{{cite web|author=SGR|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/63480.html|title=''Noises Off''...|work=[[Time Out London]]|access-date=26 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/noisesoffpg13kempley_a0a2a9.htm |title=''Noises Off'' (PG-13)|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=20 March 1992|access-date=26 November 2013}}</ref> [[Frank Rich]], who had called it "the funniest play written in my lifetime",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/noisesofftour-rev.htm|title=Theatre review: ''Noises Off'' at Theatre Royal, Newcastle, and touring|publisher=Britishtheatreguide.info|access-date=4 October 2013}}</ref> wrote that the film is "one of the worst ever made".<ref>''The Hot Seat'', by [[Frank Rich]]. {{Page needed|date=August 2018}}</ref>

==Reception==

''Noises Off'' has been described as "the funniest farce ever written",<ref name="Oldie">{{cite news |last1=Johns |first1=Lindsay |title=Michael Frayn's sublime farce is 40 years old. Lindsay Johns celebrates its genius |url=https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/noises-off-forty-years-on-what-a-play-says-lindsay-johns |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=The Oldie |date=14 February 2022}}</ref> and "the classic farce".<ref name="Guardian Billington">{{cite news |last1=Billington |first1=Michael |title=Noises Off: the farce masterclass that is truly revealing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/sep/08/noises-off-the-farce-masterclass-michael-frayn-comedy |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=The Guardian|location=London |date=8 September 2022}}</ref> It has been highly influential, possibly inspiring ''[[The Play That Goes Wrong]]'' series.<ref name="Guardian Thorpe">{{cite news |last=Thorpe |first=Vanessa |title='It's my Mousetrap': Michael Frayn on Noises Off, a farce to be reckoned with |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/08/its-my-mousetrap-michael-frayn-on-noises-off-a-farce-to-be-reckoned-with |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=The Observer |date=8 January 2023}}</ref>

''The Guardian'' and [[Chris Addison]] have praised its structure.<ref name="Addison">{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 – Chain Reaction, Series 8, Rebecca Front interviews Chris Addison |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l8rbv |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 May 2023 |location=7:34 |quote=structurally the most perfect piece of comedy writing I have encountered}}</ref><ref name="Guardian Gillinson">{{cite news |last1=Gillinson |first1=Miriam |title=Noises Off review – Frayn's exquisite farce-within-a-farce finds new humanity |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/sep/29/noises-off-review-frayns-exquisite-farce-within-a-farce-finds-new-humanity |access-date=22 May 2023 |work=The Guardian|location=London |date=29 September 2022}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==

===First Broadway production===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:5%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Award
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:25%;"| Nominee
! style="width:10%;"| Result
|-
| rowspan="9" align="center" | 1984
| rowspan="4"| [[38th Tony Awards|Tony Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]]
| {{nom}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play|Best Featured Actor in a Play]]
| [[Douglas Seale]]
| {{nom}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]]
| [[Deborah Rush]]
| {{nom}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play|Best Direction of a Play]]
| [[Michael Blakemore]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play|Outstanding New Play]]
| {{nom}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play|Outstanding Director of a Play]]
| Michael Blakemore
| {{won}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design|Outstanding Set Design]]
| [[Michael Annals]] 
| {{nom}}
|- valign="top"
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Ensemble Performance
| {{won}}
|- valign="top"
| rowspan="1"| [[Outer Critics Circle Award]]
| Outstanding Director
| Michael Blakemore
| {{won}}
|}

===2001 Broadway revival===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="5%" | Year
! width="20%" | Award
! width="40%" | Category
! width="25%" | Nominee
! width="10%" | Result
|-
| rowspan="8" align="center" | 2002
| rowspan="2" | [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2" | [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play|Best Revival of a Play]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]]
| [[Katie Finneran]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Drama Desk Award]]
| colspan="2" | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play|Outstanding Revival of a Play]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play]]
| Katie Finneran
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Outer Critics Circle Award]]
| colspan="2" | Outstanding Revival of a Play
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
| Katie Finneran
| {{won}}
|-
| |Outstanding Director of a Play
| [[Jeremy Sams]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[Drama League Award]]
| colspan="2" | Distinguished Performance of a Revival
| {{nom}}
|}

===2016 Broadway revival===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="5%" | Year
! width="20%" | Award
! width="40%" | Category
! width="25%" | Nominee
! width="10%" | Result
|-
| rowspan="8" align="center" | 2016
| rowspan="5" | [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2" | [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play|Best Revival of a Play]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play|Best Featured Actor in a Play]]
| David Furr
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]]
| [[Andrea Martin]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Megan Hilty]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play|Best Costume Design of a Play]]
| Michael Krass
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Drama Desk Award]]
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play|Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play]]
| David Furr
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play]]
| Megan Hilty
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama League Award]]
| colspan="2" | Distinguished Revival of a Play
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Noises Off}}
* {{IBDB show|6602}}
* {{IBDB title|4244|Noises Off|(Brooks Atkinson Theatre 1983–85)}}
* {{IBDB title|13061|Noises Off|(Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 2001 revival)}}
* {{IBDB title|501117|Noises Off|(American Airlines Theatre 2015–16)}}
* [http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/noisesoff.html Review of Broadway revival] by [[Matthew Murray (writer)|Matthew Murray]], 1 November 2001

{{OlivierAward Comedy}}
{{Portal bar|Theatre}}

[[Category:1982 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Comedy plays]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award–winning plays]]
[[Category:Metafictional plays]]
[[Category:British plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Plays by Michael Frayn]]
[[Category:West End plays]]
[[Category:Plays about actors]]