Noises Off (Paperback)

by Michael Frayn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This extremely popular play-within-a-play by Tony Award winner Frayn has been newly revised for its Broadway revival. Because of its complexity, it is a demanding read. Acts 1 and 2 are actually the same act performed at different times in different theaters: the first presents the final night of rehearsals for Nothing's On, a sex farce, in which the director, seated in the audience, shouts direction to the actor on stage; the second is the same act but seen from backstage during a touring performance less than a month later. Act 2 is formatted in double columns, allowing the reader to follow the actor in character on stage and the same actor out of character off stage and the folly that he or she is involved with behind the scenes. Act 3 comprises the same cast performing another play, Noises On. Complex it is, and as clever and as concise as something this multileveled can be. Written by a man with a vision, this is recommended for academic and large public libraries. Elizabeth Stifter, Brooklyn, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
?Spectacularly funny . . . a peerless backstage comedy.? ?Ben Brantley, The New York Times

?First-rate. . . . Clever and intricately crafted. . . . Sublime.? ?The Boston Globe

?Ingenious. . . . Madcap.? ?The Wall Street Journal

?A triumph. . . . An essential hysterical fix. . . . Masterly.? ?The New York Observer

?[A] frisky, freewheeling sex comedy about actors in a frisky, freewheeling sex comedy.? ?USA Today

?A comic masterpiece.? ?Daily Telegraph

?Blissful fun.? ?The New Yorker

-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400031605
• ISBN-13: 978-1400031603
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely hilarious!, January 23, 2001

By	Kristin S. (Vermont, U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noises off: A play in three acts (Paperback)

It's such a shame that both the script and the movie are out of print. "Noises Off!" is the funniest comedy I have ever seen or read.

In "Noises Off!" a group of actors is preparing to stage a production of the smash farce "Nothing On." This is part of why this play is so funny: The play that the actors are butchering is hilarious in itself. All of the actors and stage hands are inept in their own unique way. They forget lines and stage directions, lose contact lenses and deal with a set that won't work right. In each act, at least one actor has it out for another. Flowers, bottles of alcohol and entirely too many sardines create havoc. Frayn reaches supreme physical and verbal comedy.

If you've seen it on stage, you know how funny it is (and how difficult to perform). But, the script contains hilarious "bios" of the actors that presumably appear in the playbill. And the side-by-side scripts of the second act (lines and directions for what is happening on stage and back stage) are really funny. This play is the funniest thing I've read!

Note about the movie: Unlike the movie, the play is not set in the U.S. Consequently, place names and terminology are sometimes confusing. And, the play ends differently than the movie.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for theatre enthusiasts!, May 14, 1998

By	Kelsey Torok ([e-mail]) (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noises off: A play in three acts (Paperback)

This is THE most hilarous play to watch, produce, or just plain read. If you love the theatre, you WILL love this book! It's a must read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Comedy, March 21, 2009

By	Fiona Rix - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noises Off (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite comedies. It was a great movie and an even greater play. When our local drama group put it on a few years back,it was so successful that they had to continue its run for an extra week, which was unheard of. It is a brilliantly funny play and a standard for any drama group.I have seen it performed on the stage twice now and it never fails to amuse me. It is one of those plays that will be eternal.

It has a very English feel about it, which is not a bad thing, and it put me in mind of Alan Bates' 'Lust In The Dust', which is another English play, even though one of the main characters is American. That was an import also, from New Theatre Publications. Both plays are a must for the repertoire of any progressive Drama Society.