Latest news with #NoisesOff
Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
James Bond meets Abbott and Costello in The Comedy about Spies
Out-and-out comedies are so rare and hard to do that it's no wonder we adore the few that pull it off. Noises Off is on tour on its umpteenth revival; Fawlty Towers is back in London soon before going on tour. The Play That Goes Wrong is in its 11th year in the West End after starting life in a room above a pub. Its creators, Mischief Theatre, whose members are still in their mid-thirties, have made it big by zeroing in on the big laughs. Their focus is always formidable, even if their results vary. The Play That Goes Wrong is supremely well-mounted but overreliant on characters who increasingly don't seem to worry that their stage whodunnit is falling to pieces. And yes, I
Time Out
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Play That Goes Wrong
This comedy has, of course, actually done everything right. Produced by LAMDA graduates Mischief Theatre, the show has had successful runs at the Old Red Lion in Islington, Trafalgar Studios, and in Edinburgh; now it's made it all the way to the West End. Amid all the chatter about the overbearing West End dominance of jukebox musicals and film spin-offs, it's cheering to see a dynamic young company land slap-bang in the middle of Theatreland. The show is a farcical play-within-a-play. Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are mounting a production of a hoary old sub-'Mousetrap' mystery called 'The Murder at Haversham Manor'. From the first moment, in which a hapless stage manager attempts to secure a collapsing mantelpiece, we suspect that things are not going to go to plan. And that, indeed, is the case, as the production shudders painfully into chaos, taking in everything from dropped lines to disintegrating sets, intra-cast fighting, technical malfunctions of the highest order, and an unexpectedly resuscitated corpse. The show sits in a fine tradition of British slapstick, and of plays about theatrical blunders: its debt to Michael Frayn's hilarious 'Noises Off', about the gradual disintegration of a touring rep production, is considerable. This is, to be fair, acknowledged by the play's marketing, which calls it — correctly — ''Fawlty Towers' meets 'Noises Off''. But the trouble is that anyone who has seen, and loved, 'Noises Off', is likely to find the comparison unfavourable: Frayn's play simply does all the same things, and does them better. Still, there are laughs to be had here, and the production is a technical triumph: ensuring that props and sets collapse on cue, without actually injuring anyone, is a genuine feat of stage management.
The Herald Scotland
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'En route to the West End, it looks like the winner it already is'
King's Theatre, Glasgow Neil Cooper Four stars The irresistible rise of theatre built on the premise of dramatic calamity both on and back stage has come a long way since it was arguably spawned by Michael Frayn's ingenious 1982 farce, Noises Off. Since then, the likes of the tellingly named The Play that Goes Wrong has seen a younger generation of artists take what was once a fringe pursuit into the theatrical mainstream. So it goes as well for the Say it Again, Sorry? company, whose starting point may be Oscar Wilde's subversive drawing room comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, but who manage to disrupt it with the sort of anarchic intent that might appeal to dear Oscar himself. All seems well at first in what looks like a decidedly old school wheeze, as man about town Algernon awaits a visitation from his chum Ernest. When his arrival is announced, alas, his absence is more akin to Waiting for Godot. This prompts an intervention from the show's director, who enlists volunteers from the audience, not just to play Ernie, but also unseen love interest Cecily after the actress cast din the role itches the show for a stint on Harry Potter on Ice. READ MORE: 'The set is like an HBO epic': Shakespeare classic sparks with an erotic charge Truth is out stars for hypnotic rendition of When Prophecy Fails A mesmerising experience with a talking monkey As Trynity Silk's ingénue Jennifer gets quietly hammered while playing Gwendolen and Judith Amsenga's old luv Eleanor loses her voice while playing Lady Bracknell, this necessitates further emergency measures. By the end of the show, everyone on stage has been co-opted from the crowd for a chaotic cosplay that looks somewhere between a university drama club in-joke, a Crackerjack panto and a reboot of Bruce Forsyth's Generation Game. Of course, how funny Simon Paris' production of his and Josh King's loose knit script created with the company of seven actors depends on who is willing to join in. It's all well and good on the Edinburgh Fringe, where the show premiered in 2021, where the entire audience is desperate to do a turn, but what of Glasgow in May? Mercifully, Saturday night's show was blessed with a game Cecily and a scientist who had never been to a play before. Shown the ropes by Josh Haberfield as director Simon Slough, the pair rise to the occasion as they are fed lines somewhere in the vicinity of Wilde's original. Drunken spoonerisms abound from Jennifer regarding hope in souls and shining wit, while Ben Mann as stage manager Josh introduces some physical jerks into the mix whilst manning an impromptu on-stage merch stall. As the show does the rounds en route to the West End, it looks like the winner it already is. What could possibly go wrong?
Los Angeles Times
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Inside Geffen Playhouse's 2025-26 season: Athol Fugard, Pearl Cleage and multiple world premieres
So far, Tarell Alvin McCraney's inaugural season at the helm of the Geffen Playhouse has spanned a muscular revival of 'The Brothers Size,' a co-production of 'Noises Off' and a starry staging of 'Waiting for Godot.' Unbeknownst to the public, the playwright's tenure at the city's most prominent Westside theater has also included workshops of nearly every production scheduled for the 2025-26 season. It's an effort intended to cement the Geffen as a lab for artistic development and a platform for creative experimentation and development of new works. 'It was a thought that became a dream that came to fruition,' the theater's artistic director told The Times last week. 'To have more time with the plays, and the writers and directors, beforehand — that may not seem unique, but so much of the development process [in the industry] has gone away, especially in the regions where theaters tend to program a play that's already been done. They do the work in the rehearsal process, but that period of time is so focused on the production itself. 'Especially with world premieres, I was like, 'We gotta slow down, we need time for writers to really get under the hood to the juicy part, where they can explore ideas or try things or figure out how something might work,' ' he continued. 'We're making sure that, for these artists, you're feeling nourished and getting to know us as a producing entity, we're getting to know you, and we're creating, hopefully, lifelong relationships in this way. It's kept us really busy but it feels very much like we're harvesting some great things and then sharing it with our audiences and community, and we plan to keep doing that.' The Geffen's 2025-26 season, unveiled to the theater's donors and subscribers on Monday night, begins with the world premiere of 'Am I Roxie?' (Sept. 3 to Oct. 5), written and performed by Roxana Ortega. In the one-woman show, directed by Bernardo Cubría in the Gil Cates Theater, Ortega navigates the chaos of her mother's mental decline with honesty, humor and strength of spirit, all while playing everything from a mermaid-obsessed aunt to a prickly Sherpa. Next is the world premiere of Rudi Goblen's 'Littleboy/Littleman' (Oct. 1 to Nov. 2), a tale of two Nicaraguan brothers — one a steady telemarketer, the other an impulsive poet — who clash over their visions of the American Dream. The production, directed by Nancy Medina in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, blends poetry, live music and ritual in its exploration of brotherhood and belonging. 'No first outing of anything should be its last, you always want it to be the start of something,' said McCraney of the season's world premieres. 'As a writer, I know that a first production can be hampered down if it's overproduced or if it's pushed in a way that it doesn't have more space to grow. These pieces [in the season] have potential for growth, so we're putting them with directors who love new work and setting these plays up for a kind of expansion, because we want other theaters to see these first productions and then want to be part of that growth as well.' The Gil Cates Theater then welcomes the West Coast premiere of Douglas Lyons' 'Table 17' (Nov. 5 to Dec. 7), the romantic comedy in which a previously engaged couple reunites at a restaurant to, casually but carefully, untangle the past. Zhailon Levingston again directs the production, having also helmed its twice-extended, off-Broadway world-premiere run last year. The new year kicks off with the world premiere of Beth Hyland's 'Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia' (Feb. 4 to March 8, 2026), about a novelist who, grappling with writer's block and her husband's rising fame, seeks solace in the iconic Boston apartment once inhabited by Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Directed by Jo Bonney in the Gil Cates Theater, the tragicomic thriller explores creativity, obsession and the cost of creating art. The season continues with the Los Angeles premiere of Sara Porkalob's 'Dragon Mama' (March 4 to April 12, 2026), following this season's hit run of her tour-de-force 'Dragon Lady.' Andrew Russell directs this installment of the Dragon Cycle in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater; this time, the solo show with music centers on Porkalob's mother who, forced to raise her four siblings, is presented with an opportunity to chase her own dreams. 'Sara brought a level of intimacy with our audiences with her production of 'Dragon Lady' that we don't want to let go of,' said McCraney, who remains committed to programming Porkalob's entire trilogy for Los Angeles. 'We want our audiences to come in with a familiarity of, 'She's going to talk directly to us, make jokes to us and sing with us.' ' Then, a revival of Athol Fugard's deeply personal drama ' 'Master Harold'…and the Boys' (April 8 to May 10, 2026) takes over the Gil Cates Theater. Set in a South African tea shop during apartheid, the Tony-nominated play centers on the son of the shop's white owner, the two Black waiters who helped raise him and the charged conversations that challenge their fragile, shared bond. 'It's a play that I've loved and has been on my mind, and the moment we looked into the rights, we heard of Athol passing away,' said McCraney of the playwright, who died last month. 'It was a sign that we have to do this very important play, the moment of the play is something we need to remember, and it'll allow us to have deep conversations about the harder questions in our society — who we are in relation to each other, and how this system of oppression made it impossible for people to be loving to each other, because you need freedom to have love.' The season concludes with the West Coast premiere of Pearl Cleage's 'Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous' (June 10 to July 12, 2026), a sharp-witted and soulful comedy about a seasoned actress who, while launching a comeback, finds herself clashing a new generation of artists and activists. LaTanya Richardson Jackson directs the staging in the Gil Cates Theater, produced in association with Black Rebirth Collective and made possible in part by support from Cast Iron Entertainment. 'The first five to 10 minutes of the play pisses me off, tells me about myself and makes me see through another perspective in a way that I feel so nourished by,' said McCraney. 'She wrote a play that talks to us, artists who have had careers, and how we need to make room for folks who are online native, who look at the world ever so differently but have so many creative instincts that can only help us. We are a city full of artists and full of generational artists, and because it is so fun and succinct and focused on performance, we think it'll be a delicious way to end our season.'
Forbes
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Great Food In New York's Theater District: Danny Meyer's New The View
The cocktail lounge on the 48th floor of The View. Read McKendree It seemed like an improbable takeover: a long-term touristy restaurant in the middle of that most touristy part of New York, Times Square. So there were many questions last month when acclaimed restaurateur Danny Meyer reopened The View, the bi-level, revolving restaurant in the Theater District atop the Marriott Marquis. Restaurants showcasing the view, particularly when they're spinning, usually emphasize that view rather than the food. But Meyer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group, responsible for critically lauded restaurants like the Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern and The Modern, had a plan. And his reasons. The main dining room of The View. Read McKendree 'Since I first moved from the Midwest to New York City in the 1980s, the Theater District has felt like the heartbeat of the city to me. It also has always held a special place in my heart,' he explains. 'I spent my very first New York City night staying at the Algonquin Hotel, highlighted by dinner at Broadway Joe's on Restaurant Row and a performance of the musical, Side by Side by Sondheim. Years later, I took my future wife, who's an actress, on our first date for drinks at The Algonquin followed by the comedy, Noises Off. To this day, Audrey and I remain avid theatergoers—she usually selects the show, and I choose where we'll dine before or after the performance. It's been an incredible privilege to re-imagine The View and to lovingly create our own pre- and post-dining destination for theater lovers. Above all, I hope The View will provide New Yorkers and visitors alike with a fun and delicious opportunity to experience Times Square from a different perspective.' The Grand Marquis at The View. Eric Medsker Meyer had not, admittedly, experienced the restaurant's previous perspective, an all you can eat buffet popular with tourists but shunned by New Yorkers when it shuttered five years ago. But he knew the reputation and the first step to changing it was a more sophisticated design. Masterminded by the Rockwell Group, that means a cocktail lounge draped in blue velvet with a marble bar under a massive lighted globe on the 48th floor. The dining room on the floor below has deep red carpets, gold chairs, burl wood walls in a herringbone pattern and reflective metallic paint on the ceiling that intensifies the rotating 360 degree views. (45 minutes for a complete cycle in the upstairs cocktail lounge, an hour for a complete spin in the dining room.) Grating Parmigiano Reggiano over a Caesar Salad. Eric Medsker Within that setting, chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley, formerly the Corporate Executive Chef for STARR Restaurants, is turning out stellar, elevated versions of American classics. Upstairs in the lounge are raw bar stars such as oysters, shrimp cocktail, chilled lobster and tuna tartare on their own or together in The Grand Marquis, a seafood plateau that also contains scallop ceviche and blue crab salad. Cocktail party style nibbles such as wagyu pigs in a blanket and stuffed mushrooms are also available, designed to go along with an exuberant cocktail menu combining both classics and jazz riffs like the Katz's martini fusing Brisket washed Bombay Sapphire with the pastrami spices from that famous deli on the Lower East Side. One of the limited number of portions of Prime Rib available in the main dining room each night. Eric Medsker Downstairs, Meek-Bradley keeps it elemental but extremely high quality with starters such as Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cake with Spicy Remoulade, Beef Tartare with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Sunchoke Chips and a perfect crunchy, tangy Caesar Salad. Diners who get there early should get one of their limited number of Prime Ribs before they run out; other good choices are Bone-in Ribeyes, Seared Duck Breast with turnips and dates and Black Bass en Papillote with rich creamed spinach and even richer, cheesy potatoes au gratin. The irresistible chocolate cake at The View. Eric Medsker Desserts also go back to basics but in a really luscious way. Classic New York Cheesecake is a bit lighter and creamier than the famous brick-like one available at the outpost of Junior's across the street but with the essential cream cheese and slight vanilla flavor along with raspberry sauce and vanilla whipped cream; the Cherry Jubilee Sundae with stracciatella ice cream and brownie bits will bring anyone back to childhood ice cream confections. But the standout is the skyscraper Chocolate Cake composed of Devil's food cake and chocolate caramel ganache drizzled with caramel sauce. It's served on both floors and if the show's curtain comes down after 10 when the dining room closes, the cocktail lounge is open until 12.
