Laughter is set to ring through the Hoskins Centre as the Armidale Drama and Musical Society (ADMS) stages Noises Off, one of the most celebrated comedies of the last half century.
Directed by Neil Horton, the show opens on Friday, 3 October and runs through to Saturday, 11 October. Widely regarded as a classic comedy farce and one of the funniest plays ever written, Noises Off takes audiences behind the curtain of a bumbling theatre troupe where everything that could possibly go wrong does. Missed cues, misplaced props and chaotic backstage antics fuel a night of fast-paced farce.
Horton said the play is as timely as ever.
“It is a show about a play within a play, and all the silly goings on that can happen while people are trying to perform a play and getting it wrong or having issues with each other,” he said.
“This is a classic comedy farce, probably one of the greatest of the last 50 years.”
The play unfolds over three acts. The first sees the cast struggle through rehearsals riddled with mishaps and jokes. In the second act, the set is flipped so the audience watches the backstage drama unravel halfway through the troupe’s fictional tour of England. The third act brings the chaos to a peak as relationships collapse and the actors sabotage each other while still attempting to perform.
Horton said the structure keeps audiences laughing throughout.
“You don’t have to think too much. The laughs get big, build and build and build throughout the three acts. And I don’t know anyone that has never loved it, the people that have seen it before professionally,” he said.
“It is probably one of the best belly laughs you’d want in a time when the world is sort of the complete opposite. It’s all very serious at the moment, isn’t it? We definitely are in need of a belly laugh, and this is probably one of the greatest ones of recent times.”
One of the most ambitious elements for ADMS is the two-storey revolving set, a first for the local society. Horton said it is a technical challenge that will give audiences a true taste of the play’s mayhem.
“In the first act, you see the cast performing the play in rehearsals and getting things wrong, and there’s lots of silly, good jokes. And the second act is them halfway through their tour of England, and we actually flip the set around, so you can see people from the back of the stage.”
The production also marks a return for ADMS to a play they last staged 20 years ago. Horton himself has a long history with the work.
“We did it at the old Armidale Playhouse before we had it renovated, and I directed it again 35 years ago in Glen Innes. So it hasn’t changed. It’s still relevant. It’s still, it’s not a period piece. It’s sort of set in the 80s, but it really doesn’t matter where,” he said.
While there is a bit of 1970s style sex farce, with characters kissing someone they shouldn’t and the like, Horton said it is broadly suitable for most of the family.
“There’s a bit of innuendo, but that’s about it. So family friendly enough, but it’s not for young kids, because they probably wouldn’t understand it. But, you know, late primary high school, no problem at all,” he said.
Tickets are on sale now for the Hoskins Centre season, from 3 to 11 October, with a gala opening night on Friday, 3 October.
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.