History Theatre / NoisesOff

* TakeThat: Knowledge of British film and theater would know that the character of Freddie is a mockery of Uta Hagen and Constantin Stanislavski's Method Acting; classically trained British actors are taught just to make the part theirs instead of trying to get inside the heads of actors for motivation.

* {{Kayfabe}}: All productions will have the theater program be about "Nothing On", not "Noises Off".

Not... ''exactly'' a textbook {{farce}}, not exactly a backstager, not even exactly a ''play'', the 1982 comedy ''Noises Off'' might be best described as a repeating exploration of everything that can go wrong in live theatre. All at once. With perfect, split-second timing. Written by Michael Frayn (known among other things as the screenwriter of the Creator/JohnCleese movie ''Clockwise''). Done right, this work of staggering theatrical genius can make you wet your pants -- either from laughing too hard (if you don't have extensive backstage theatrical experience) or from horrified flashbacks (if you do).

A film version was released in 1992, directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich and featuring an all-star cast headed by Creator/MichaelCaine as Lloyd the director, with Creator/CarolBurnett, Creator/ChristopherReeve, Creator/DenholmElliott, Creator/JohnRitter, Creator/MariluHenner, and Creator/NicolletteSheridan as the cast of ''Nothing On'' and Creator/JulieHagerty and Marc Linn-Baker as the overworked backstage crew. It adds a wrapper about the show going to Broadway, and is presented as a flashback as Lloyd describes what a nightmare the show has been; it also gives the plot an actual happy ending.

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/noises_off.jpg]]

The play is in three acts; the first depicts what happens on stage during the dress rehearsal for ''Nothing On'', a [[Creator/GeorgesFeydeau Feydeauesque]] door-slamming sex farce that's opening in mere hours, with a cast that hasn't had the rehearsal time they'd like, one of whom is not all there, one of whom is even less there, one of whom has trouble with blood, another of whom has trouble with finishing sentences, and, of course, with sardines. We see the ShowWithinAShow proceed, with the occasional pause for corrections, mistakes, errors, rumors, misunderstandings, and of course, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking sardines]].

A film version was released in 1992, directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich and with an all-star cast including Creator/MichaelCaine as Lloyd the director, with Creator/CarolBurnett, Creator/ChristopherReeve, Creator/DenholmElliott, Creator/JohnRitter, Creator/MariluHenner, and Creator/NicolletteSheridan as the cast of Nothing On, and Julie Hagerty and Marc Linn-Baker as the overworked backstage crew. It adds a wrapper about the show going to Broadway, and is presented as a flashback as Lloyd describes what a nightmare the show has been; it also gives the plot an actual happy ending.

[[quoteright:317:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/noises_off.jpg]]

Not... ''exactly'' a textbook {{farce}}, not exactly a backstager, not even exactly ''a play'', ''Noises Off'' is a repeating exploration of everything that can go wrong in live theatre. All at once. With perfect, split-second timing. Written by the author of the Creator/JohnCleese movie ''Clockwise''. Done right, this work of staggering theatrical genius can make you wet your pants -- either from laughing too hard (if you don't have extensive backstage theatrical experience) or from horrified flashbacks (if you do).

The play is in three acts; the first depicts what happens on stage during the dress rehearsal for a [[Creator/GeorgesFeydeau Feydeau-style]] door-slamming sex farce that's opening in mere hours, with a cast that hasn't had the rehearsal time they'd like, one of whom is not all there, one of whom is even less there, one of whom has trouble with blood, another of whom has trouble with finishing sentences, and, of course, with sardines. We see the ShowWithinAShow proceed, with the occasional pause for corrections, mistakes, errors, rumors, misunderstandings, and of course, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking sardines]].

* YouExclamation: At the end of Act I, everyone thinks the Shiek is Philip, yelling, "YOU!" before attacking him.

There's a 1992 [[Film/NoisesOff film version]], directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich and with an all-star cast including Creator/MichaelCaine as Lloyd the director, with Creator/CarolBurnett, Creator/ChristopherReeve, Creator/DenholmElliott, Creator/JohnRitter, Creator/MariluHenner, and Creator/NicolletteSheridan as the cast of Nothing On, and Julie Hagerty and Marc Linn-Baker as the overworked backstage crew. It adds a wrapper about the show going to Broadway, and is presented as a flashback as Lloyd describes what a nightmare the show has been; it also gives the plot an actual happy ending.

* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Him "Sheikh"]]

** How Dotty and Roger got together (in "On The Zebras", where she played a lollipop lady and he played an ice-cream man who charmed all the lollipop ladies)

** The second act sets one up between Garry, Dotty, and Freddie. By the third act, this has progressed to Dotty, Freddie, and Belinda.
* MayDecemberRomance: Garry and Dotty. Lloyd points this out [[DeadpanSnarker in his usual manner.]]

* MeaningfulName: Garry Lejeune is pretty jejune [[labelnote:Definition]] Naive, simplistic, and superficial [[/labelnote]] which then becomes a subversion when he gets violently jealous, and Dotty is... dotty.

* NiceGuy: Freddie is polite, professional, and friendly with the rest of the cast, and helps cheer Dotty up after her breakup with Garry. He's also totally oblivious to the chaos his good intentions cause, which leads to Garry attempting to kill him with a fire axe and causes an enormous feud between Dotty and Belinda.

* RuleOfThrees: Lampshaded by Dotty when [[spoiler:Tim, Selsdon, and Lloyd enter as the Burglar]] in act 3.

* SuddenlyShouting: Combined with a SevenMinuteLull at the end of Act II, when Poppy shouts, "I'M PREGNANT!"

* ExhaustedEyebags: Dallas verbally abuses and horribly and appallingly works stage manager Timothy Allgood to the point of a complete and total collapse, endangering his health, all to whip the mess of a production of "Nothing On" into a coherent presentation. Poor Timothy ... he hasn't slept in nearly two days, yet is shouted at and belittled to the point of dehumanization when he is told to repair props that won't work and that he had better be ready to understudy several actors in an instant.

The second act shows us backstage at the same play after it's opened and has been running a while, when all of the petty jealousies, rivalries, irritations, and pet peeves have been well stoked and are in full flower. Axes, [[RunningGag sardines]], and whiskey all make their appearances, and part of the charm at this point is watching the actors attempt to kill each other ''while still managing to make it out onto the "stage" on cue.''

The third act then wraps everything up with another iteration of the first act, as the audience would see it, after the cast has been on the road for far too long.

* TiedUpOnThePhone: An insanely long phone cord used for slapstick purposes is one of the few bits which actually goes as planned.

* {{Homage}}: ''Nothing On'' is a pastiche of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Feydeau Georges Feydeau's]] work: sex farces with ridiculous situations and door slamming.

* NoEnding: In the stage version, jarringly so. Michael Frayn couldn't seem to find an ending, so the play simply... stops.

-->'''Lloyd:''' If we can just get through the play once tonight for doors and sardines. That’s what it’s all about. Doors and sardines. Getting on – getting off. Getting the sardines on – getting the sardines off. That’s farce. That’s the theatre. That’s life.\\

** Late in the act, when Garry [[AssShove shoves a cactus up Lloyd's bottom]], the latter's scream lines up with Vicki's scream as her character finds someone in the downstairs bathroom.

* NoodleImplements: We never see the second act of ''Nothing On'', but according to the production credits in the in-universe program, it apparently makes use of a stethoscope, a hospital trolley, a straitjacket, and at least 2 coffins.

* AssShove: Lloyd is on the receiving end of this by Garry. By a cactus.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption: At one point, a character quietly moving about backstage inadvertently shouts [[BigOMG "OH MY GOD!"]]... precisely on cue -- because they've performed the role so many times they reflexively say the line..