NOISES OFF AT THE NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM
Theatre Run: Monday 24 - Saturday 29 June 2013
Performance Reviewed: Monday 24 June (Press Night)
Reviewed by Kyle Pedley
It’s a truth that often escapes audiences yet is almost universally acknowledged by actors/directors and other theatre talent alike that comedy, and in particular comedy of the slapstick, physical and farcical variety, is one of the most difficult and disciplined of theatre forms to pull off convincingly and satisfyingly. Too broad and the lampooning leads to audience disconnect, too specific or regimented and it feels stilted, insincere and, well, staged. To marry the natural buoyancy and vim of comedy with the precision and practice of physical slapstick and farce in particular is so tricky a balancing act that rarely does it work as successfully in theatre as it would in other mediums such as film or television, which allow themselves the luxury and safety net of cutaways, close-ups and the edit to mask the joins. When and where it does work, however, results in the kind of energised, barnstorming frenzy of farcical funny and theatrical hijinks that is Noises Off.
