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On August 25, Phoenix Theatre will be opening its mainstage season with a production of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off.
In preparation for staging this three-act farcical play, the Phoenix Theatre crew spent the last five weeks building a three-ton set, built entirely in-house, from scratch.
Noises Off is a farce (read: disastrous comedy) written by Michael Frayn.
It’s a play within a play, and revolves around the trials and tribulations of a theater group trying to put on a production of a terrible sex comedy called Nothing On. Each of Noises Off’s three acts contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On, going from its dress rehearsal to its last week of performance.
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We went behind the scenes this week to check out what’s going on pre-production and take a look at the massive set. More photos and details after the jump …
The set is able to rotate — the façade of a house on one side and a mockup of a theater’s backstage on the other. There’s a massive staircase which will soon be the focus of rehearsal: As part of the play, actors will have to practice climbing up and tumbling down. Over and over again. The play is touted by the Theatre as the “funniest play ever written” and “Broadway’s greatest farce.” One thing is for sure — the stunts and choreography should be interesting to watch.
Noises Off runs at Phoenix Theatre from August 25 to September 12. Tickets can be purchased on the Theatre’s website.
