THE HILARIOUS NOISES OFF IS
ON AT SF PLAYOUSE — OFF YOU GO

The huge interior of an imposing English country estate by Heather Kenyon greets visitors to the San Francisco Playhouse, scene of an outlandish new production of Michael Frayn’s enduringly popular farce-within-a-farce Noises Off.

The cast

Seamlessly directed by Bill English, everything that might go wrong does go wrong — intentionally so, of course — as a British theatre troupe prepares to launch a performance of Nothing On. They can’t remember their cues, continually bobble their lines, and engage in all sorts of backstage and onstage shenanigans, much to the annoyance of the director of the play-within-a-play, Lloyd Dallas (Patrick Russell), near his wits’ end as the final rehearsal goes awry.

Joe Ayers takes a tumble

Confident and uninhibited, Julie Eccles is hilarious as the addled Dotty Otley, playing the part of Mrs. Clackett, a housekeeper who can’t figure out what to do with a telephone and a plate of sardines. She’s soon matched by the arrival of two pairs of visitors — numbskull actor Garry Lejeune (Joe Ayers), playing a tax agent named Roger Tramlemain, and Roger’s aggressively amorous companion Brooke Ashton (Sophia Awali as actress Vicki), followed by the home’s owner Frederick Fellows (Nima Rakhshanifar as actor Philip Brent) and his glamorous cohort Belinda Blair (Liz Sklar as actress Flavia Brent). Frederick’s doing his best to dodge tax authorities by pretending to be on holiday in Spain, an explanation that Dotty continually mangles.

Julie Eccles, Nima Rakhshanifar, Liz Sklar as Dotty, Frederick and Belinda

Then there’s boozehound Selsdon (the understated Louis Parnell playing a black-clad burglar), who wanders off inexplicably during rehearsal, much to the consternation of his castmates and the troupe’s ultra-patient stage manager Poppy (Vivienne Truong) and company technician Tim (Jamiel St. Rose).

Liz Sklar with cast

Selsdon’s habit of hiding bottles on the set is only one of several running gags in this frenetic comedy, including many frustrated attempts at coupling by the show’s two pairs. In Act II, the maiden voyage of Nothing On is severely hampered by their efforts to sabotage each other while deflecting blame, and Lloyd’s increasing inability to steer a production spiraling out of control. Lloyd adds to the collective madness with his own philandering, simultaneously plying both Poppy and Brooke with flowers and bottles of expensive whiskey. It’s a riot of confusion.

Patrick Russell and Vivienne Truong as Lloyd and Poppy

A longtime favorite with theater fans, Noises Off is among the best slamming-door farces (Lend Me a Tenor is another). The SF Playhouse production excels in pacing and madcap hijinks, very much like the recent The Play That Goes Wrong. The performers engage in a daunting number of hilarious and apparently dangerous pratfalls, their gymnastic talents aided by fight-and-stunt director Chelsea Pace.

Sophia Awali and Joe Ayers as Brooke and Garry

For the second act, we see the back side of the Nothing On set, as impressive as the front, thanks to the huge turntable built into the Playhouse stage, a feature that’s been well-used in many of the company’s productions including Nollywood Dreams, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and My Fair Lady. The rotating floor gives the audience views of two or more sets without the need for set changing. It also permits “walk and talk” scenes that are difficult to stage otherwise.

Vivienne Truong and Jamiel St. Rose as Poppy and Tim

The play-within-a-play gambit may be a bit confusing for first-time visitors to this comedy. The Playhouse has tried to minimize this by including a faux-playbill of Nothing On in the back of the actual playbill. It’s a help. Newbies seated in front of us asked at the end of Act I, “Is there a second act?” “Yes,” I replied, “and it’s a whopper.” Act III is the frazzled company performing Nothing On late in the tour.

Julie Eccles, Sophia Awali, Liz Sklar

Running nearly three hours, this Noises Off may be one of the greatest performances that you may ever see of the old warhorse. Cast and crew pour heart, soul, blood, sweat and assorted other fluids in bringing it to life in SFP’s very comfortable mid-size theater. The combined effort is both exhausting and exhilarating. An evening spent watching adults behave as ridiculously as possible should give everyone great hope for the human species.

photos by Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

Noises Off
San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street in San Francisco
Tues-Thurs at 7; Wed at 2; Fri at 8; Sat at 3 & 8; Sun at 2
ends on November 8, 2025
for tickets ($52-$145), call 415.677.9596 or visit SF Playhouse

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Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.