Theatre Royal Bath Productions' 40th anniversary production of Michael Frayn's Tony-nominated farce Noises Off,
which launched a U.K. tour in September 2022 at Theatre Royal Bath and
played a limited engagement at London's Phoenix Theatre last
winter, officially opens its West End return engagement October 5.
Directed by Lindsay Posner, the production began previews September
27 and will continue through December 16 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The cast features Felicity Kendal (The Good Life, Hay Fever, Relatively Speaking) as Dotty Otley with Jonathan Coy (Anatomy of a Scandal, Relatively Speaking, Ink) as Frederick Fellows, Alexander Hanson (Killing Eve, Follies, 42nd Street) as Lloyd Dallas, Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey, Rain Man, Pride) as Garry Lejeune, Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders, The Tower, Sweet Charity) as Belinda Blair, Oscar Batterham (Richard III, The One That Got Away) as Tim, Sasha Frost (His Dark Materials, Folk) as Brooke Ashton, and Pepter Lunkuse (Hamlet, Nell Gwynn) as Poppy Norton-Taylor.
In Frayn's comic conceit, the audience follows the misfortunes of a fifth-rate British troupe as it rehearses (Act One), performs (Act Two), and destroys (Act Three) a British sex farce called Nothing On. The points of view change during Noises Off, offering a front of-house rehearsal, a backstage perspective during a performance, and another view from the house, several months into the run.
The creative team also includes designer Simon Higlett, lighting designer Paul Pyant, sound designer Greg Clarke, composer Will Stuart, movement and fight director Ruth Cooper-Brown, associate director George Jibson, and casting director Ginny Schiller.
Noises Off opened in London in 1982 before arriving at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre in December 1983 and playing 553 performances. A feature film was made of Noises Off in 1992. The comedy has been revived twice on Broadway, in 2001 and, most recently, in 2016.
Frayn won the 2000 Tony Award for his play Copenhagen.
For tickets to the West End engagement, visit Trh.co.uk.
