The result is a fast-paced and hilarious production that is nothing short of funny. During the press preview WhenInManila.com was invited to, the crowd was literally screaming with laughter. Some scenes happen simultaneously that you will be impressed at the amount of energy the actors have to perform the two-hour play.
In fact, respected New York Times critic Frank Rich has called the show “the funnies play written in my lifetime.”
In the interest of clarity, we will present the cast of characters in bullet form:
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Chinggoy Alonso plays Lloyd Dallas, the director of the play in Noises Off
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Frances Makil Ignacio plays Dotty Otley, a forgetful actress who plays Mrs. Clackett
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Paul Holme plays alcoholic actor Selsdon Mowbray, who plays a burglar
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Shiela Valderrama-Martinez plays optimistic star Belinda Blair, who plays Flavia Brent
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Lorenz Martinez plays Garry Lejeune, who plays Roger Tramplemain
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Carla Guevara-Laforteza plays Brooke Ashton, who plays the sexpot Vicki
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Gerard Sison plays Frederick Fellowes, who in turn plays Philip Brent
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Peachy Atilano plays Poppy Norton-Taylor, Noises Off’s assistant stage manager
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Nico Dans plays Tim Allgood, the company stage manager
Noises Off
Lloyd Dallas, director of Nothing On
Lloyd explaining how things work to Frederick, who tends to question everything
Frederick Fellowes is one of Noises Off’s funniest characters
Noises Off is the play you’re going to watch if you make the right decision of seeing this production. It is the story of a theater company who’s about to stage a production of Nothing On.
The play is about to run the next day and tensions are running high. Aside from Nothing On being nothing more than a formulaic farce, he has to deal with Dotty, who seems to have trouble remembering her blocking, an argumentative Garry who questions every sequence, and the alcoholic Selsdon who likes to disappear.
Aside from the cast of tired and frustrated actors, Lloyd also has to deal with the personal affairs his actors (and himself) are carrying. As rehearsals continue, revelation upon revelation keeps dropping on the set.
Behind the scenes of Nothing On, the play in Noises Off
After a month, Nothing On is performing a matinee at another theater. The play is up-and-running but the relationships have soured. This is where the comedy happens. As the actors run back and forth between backstage and onstage, there are threats of walking out, misplaced props, missed entrances, and pranks, with the performance descending into utter chaos. And yet, everything is running smoothly onstage, making us wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a real play.
