Noises Off is a bedroom farce, and a play within a play. The action follows a struggling touring theatre company as they rehearse and perform Nothing On, a sex comedy involving mistaken identities, slamming doors, and plates of sardines as problematic props.

Act 1 depicts a frantic dress rehearsal where director Lloyd Dallas battles forgotten lines, timing issues, and interpersonal tensions among the eccentric cast.

Act 2 shifts to a matinee performance one month later viewed from backstage with romantic jealousies, props going missing, physical fights, and props like sardines causing slapstick havoc while the onstage show barely holds together. Relationships fracture further.

In Act 3, near the end of a gruelling 10-week tour the production is in ruins: scenery breaks, props are scattered, and cast members ad-lib desperately amid arguments and exhaustion, leading to a hilariously incoherent finale as they cover up the total breakdown.

By Michael Frayn
Director Stephen Macken