Noises Off

At the tender age of 90, you might expect Repertory Invercargill to be basking benignly in the glow of past glories, cupping a steaming mug of Bovril with slipper-encased feet crossed primly in front of the one-bar heater.

But no. Instead, this vibrant society of thespians re-energises the notoriously difficult classic English farce Noises Off. A play within a play, it is intensely physical, frenetic and laugh-out-loud funny. The excellent cast are all in top form, playing every gag to the hilt and stamping their characters’ identities indelibly on the stage. All the moving parts align as seamlessly as they can do in such a fast-moving, ridiculously premised, chaotic comedy. The pace of delivery, the timing (and deliberate mistiming) of every open and shut door.

Essentially, Noises Off is three renditions of act one of a play being put on by an English amateur theatre company. The first is the final dress rehearsal, which does not go well. The second version is flipped to backstage during the middle part of the play’s season. The third, utterly disastrous, rendition is again seen from the front of stage, where the backstage conflict derails the performance like a trainwreck in real time. It takes slick acting chops to make bad acting look good, and this cast is a very slick ensemble indeed, clearly well drilled by director Neil McDonald.

Sarah McCarthy is the eye of the comedic storm in this production. She steals scenes with a flutter of the eyelashes. Playing Sal, an ageing alcoholic thespian from a bygone era, she is the hilariously miscast burglar. Heavily caked in makeup and wrapped in black, her character is a forebodingly gothic, Gloria Swanson-esque vision. Once she spies that bottle of whisky, though, all bets are off. Look out.

Liv Cochrane’s character Dotty Otley (playing housekeeper Mrs Crackett) is the company’s camp mother, a calming, solid presence who does her best to maintain a level of composure that is beyond her reach by the final act. Dotty is dating leading man Garry Lejeune (playing estate agent Roger Tramplemain), played by the superb Richard Goodson. His character is proof that appearances can be deceiving. Garry’s suave swagger and machismo on stage mask a fragile ego and acutely jealous streak which backstage reveals an unhinged madman.

Callum Fowler as the pompous director Lloyd drips with sarcasm and a degree of faux bonhomie that is almost menacing. He is much more concerned with advancing his career elsewhere than he is delivering a quality production. He is also shagging two of the female leads in the play, leading to inevitable wailing and gnashing of teeth when they both find out. Fowler is a powerhouse in this play. Ana Bettio as the bombshell actress Brooke is one corner of the Lloyd love triangle, and clearly, she has not won the role of Vicki based on any trace of acting talent. Bettio does all of this brilliantly well. Assistant stage manager and understudy Poppy (Gemma McAllister) is the other love interest of Lloyd, the spurned one. Her unflappable professionalism is left in ruins by the time Lloyd’s duplicity is exposed. McAllister’s performance is impressive in her stage debut.

Felix Crossley-Pritchard (as Frederick Fellowes, as Philip Brent) also has a juicy role, a dim-witted tax exile who attracts the ire of Garry and flakes at the mere mention of blood, which he ends up providing every time his nose bleeds under pressure. Freddy finds a worthy foil in the long-suffering Belinda, played with poise and polish by Hannah Kennedy. The impressive and omnipresent Aaron McKechie embraces the role of all-round production gofer Tim, the overworked, under-appreciated stage manager and understudy.

Big ups to the production crew, too, who get their moment in the spotlight in a nicely executed directorial device, when they come on stage to reverse the orientation of the cleverly constructed set in full view of the audience. It’s a lovely acknowledgement of the people who make a production tick behind the scenes.

Fans of British farce and local theatre at its bawdy best should secure their tickets forthwith.