Noises Off
Metatheatrical Farce Par Excellence by San Francisco Playhouse
By: Victor Cordell - Oct 03, 2025
Doors and sardines. They are at the center of perhaps theater’s farciest farce and the definitive farcical metatheatrical play. On a set representing the two-story great room of a manor house in England, several doors feature significantly as they slam, sometimes in succession; get locked or opened when they shouldn’t; and reveal things that weren’t intended. A plate of sardines is a wayward prop that is often where it isn’t supposed to be; gets stuck to an actor’s hand; and creates an oily spot on the floor that is the cause of slips and falls. Lovers of farce will find the pratfalls of Noises Off just what the funny bone ordered.
The play is about the production of a play called Nothing On, which acts as a play-within-a-play, and the audience witnesses its first act in three different forms. Act 1 of Noises Off depicts the final rehearsal of the first act of Nothing On, which goes well into the night. Patrick Russell who booms amplified instructions from the back of the house but occasionally struts to the stage, is hilarious as the flamboyant, exacting director, who constantly denigrates actors (“Are you there?”) who really do deserve criticism. Yet, many of his issues are much ado about nothing.
Dotty, a droll and delightful Julie Eccles, as the older housekeeper is the worst of the lot, unable to remember her lines or her blocking, but she is a financial backer of the show, a famed television star, and having an affair with the leading man (Joe Ayers as a bumbling Garry), so there is much reason for her to be there.
The main purpose of the play-within-a-play (as suggested by the title) seems to be to show off the physical assets of Brooke, who jiggles around in a sexy black undies ensemble most of the time. The versatile Sophia Alawi wows as Brooke, with provocative shimmies and shakes; amusing gesticulations from come-hither bunny action to exaggerated loosening up movements and hip thrusts; and spicy mugging, with great appeal throughout.
Noises Off’s real distinction is in the most riotous Act 2 which occurs at a later performance of Nothing On. However, it is seen from back stage, with the actors making their entrances through the back side of the same doors as in Act 1, and with some of the resultant onstage dialog audible. But once the action of Nothing On starts, the noises off rule is in order, and all of the slapstick action backstage is in pantomime.
The whole of this San Francisco Playhouse production is a challenge to orchestrate, but Act 2 is particularly complex, and a masterful Director Bill English earns his spurs and more. The whole scene is a maelstrom, as actors and stage managers bicker and undermine one another endlessly. In one silent sequence, an axe changes hands several times with multiple attempts to put it to its intended use, only to be blocked with exquisite timing by a third party, sometimes casually or inadvertently.
Act 3 of Noises Off occurs later in the run of Nothing On and is seen in the onstage perspective. By now, many of the antagonisms, personal frailties, love triangles, and other secrets among the artists have fully emerged, and the raucous performance is full of miscues. Brooke loses a contact lens and feels around with her hands, virtually blind; one character suffers a bloody nose and falling trousers; and another character shows up in triplicate. Prop mishandling plays a large role as door handles come off; a phone disappears; the sardine plate is in the wrong place; and more. Much of what happens can be characterized by the title of a more recent play that follows a similar premise, The Play that Goes Wrong.
This production is excellent, with great scenic design by Heather Kenyon and fine ensemble acting. Theater lovers will enjoy all of the inside looks at processes and relationships, while lovers of broad comedy, particularly visual, will find Noises Off to be catnip. Of course there is a major caveat. If nonsense humor is not in the viewer’s wheelhouse, and it clearly doesn’t work for everyone, the experience could be mixed or even a grind. And in any event, at nearly three hours of running time and experiencing the same material, even if from three different perspectives, it does get repetitive.
Noises Off, written by Michael Frayn, is produced by San Francisco Playhouse and appears on its stage at 450 Post Street, San Francisco, CA through November 8, 2025.