History Theatre / NoisesOff

* HeyItsThatGuy: The film version has MichaelCaine, CarolBurnett, Creator/JohnRitter, and Creator/ChristopherReeve, as well as Mark Linn-Baker, Denholm Elliott (in his last film role before his death), Marilu Henner, and Julie Hagerty. The sheer samurai ninja master scene-stealing that goes on is something to behold.

* OnlySaneMan: Belinda

Not ... ''exactly'' a textbook farce, not exactly a backstager, not even exactly ''a play'', ''Noises Off'' is a repeating exploration of everything that can go wrong in live theatre. All at once. With perfect, split-second timing. Written by the author of the Creator/JohnCleese movie ''{{Clockwise}}''. Done right, this work of staggering theatrical genius can make you wet your pants - either from laughing too hard (if you don't have extensive backstage theatrical experience) or from horrified flashbacks (if you do).

* ExhaustedEyebags: Dallas verbally abuses and horribly and appallingly works stage manager Timothy Allgood to the point of a complete and total collapse, endangering his health, all to whip the mess of a production of "Nothing On" into a coherent presentation. Poor Timothy ... he hasn't slept in nearly two days, yet is shouted and belittled to the point of dehumanization when he is told to repair props that won't work and that he had better be ready to understudy several actors in an instant.
* {{Fanservice}}: Brooke/Viki's costume, or lack thereof.

* HilarityEnsues: The entire point of ''Noises Off'' is to depict what might result when everything that could go wrong does: A director who is in over his head, actors who are clearly incompetent or ill-suited to being cast in a major theatric production and a stage manager who desperately needs sleep. In the real world, given that the play is clearly nowhere close to being ready to present to the audience, a competent director would postpone opening night. If any play actually did open with everything as ill-ready as it was, the play might not make it past opening night … maybe not even through opening night. Additionally, the director (Lloyd Dallas, whose abilities as a director leave much to be desired despite him fancying himself as the greatest) would likely be blacklisted and might also face legal trouble for his overworking of stage manager Timothy Allgood, particularly if he were to suffer health issues due to being denied the chance to sleep.

** Vicki disrobes to bra, panties and garter early in the first act of 'Nothing On' and stays that way through the act. Since we only ever see the first act, the only time she is NOT in her skivvies is waiting backstage before the show in Act 2 or when she and Gary enter in the very first scene.

* TheRashomon: Well, not really. But it is three distinct takes on the same story - it's just three different runthroughs of the same act, not three different people telling different versions.

* RunningGag-Given that they do the same Act 3 different ways, most of the jokes tied to the "Nothing On" become running gags

** Lloyd speaking biblicaly "And God said where the hell is Tim? And there the hell was Tim"

* TruthInTelevision: As ''anyone'' who has theatrical experience can tell you that this play is ''dead on'' with what sorts of things go wrong with a play. Allegedly, the author was watching a play they wrote from backstage, and thought what was going on backstage was more interesting than the play.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Nothing On''. ''Noises Off'' does its best to pass ''Nothing On'' off as a real play, as the program will be for ''Nothing On'', with the cast, director, and the author having biographies in the theater program - and as many references to sardines as possible. There is a pseudo-intellectual letter from the director about the symbolism of the sex farce. There are even fake ads in the program, including restaurants bragging about - of course - their sardines.
* SpecialEffectFailure: Invoked for laughs - Since one aspect of the play is how this can happen in live theatre audiences, the script calls for a few parts of the play to mess up.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The film version has MichaelCaine, CarolBurnett, Creator/JohnRitter, and Creator/ChristopherReeve, as well as Mark Linn-Baker, Denholm Elliot, Marilu Henner, and Julie Hagerty. The sheer samurai ninja master scene-stealing that goes on is something to behold.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The film version has MichaelCaine, CarolBurnett, JohnRitter, and Creator/ChristopherReeve, as well as Mark Linn-Baker, Denholm Elliot, Marilu Henner, and Julie Hagerty. The sheer samurai ninja master scene-stealing that goes on is something to behold.

* YourMakeupIsRunning: At least one version has Belinda's character experience this after she suspects her husband of cheating on her with Vicki. If you look closely during a backstage scene from Act II, you can actually see Belinda apply extra mascara in preparation for this scene.

* YourMakeupIsRunning: At least one version has Belinda's character do this after she suspects her husband of cheating on her with Vicki. If you look closely during a backstage scene from Act II, you can actually see Belinda apply extra mascara in preparation for this scene.

* ActingForTwo: In-universe example: Frederick plays both Philip and a Sheikh. He interrupts a dress rehearsal to question the ContrivedCoincidence of both characters looking exactly the same.

* MeaningfulName: Garry Lejeune is pretty jejune [Definition] Naive, simplistic, and superficial [/Definition] which then becomes a subversion when he gets violently jealous, and Dotty is... dotty.

* Fanservice: Brooke/Viki's costume, or lack thereof.

* RunningGag

** That's drama. That's theatre. That's ''life''.
*** You're SO deep.

** "And God said . . . ."
** Brooke's contact lenses.

* MeaningfulName: Garry Lejeune is pretty jejune (which then becomes a subversion when he gets violently jealous), and Dotty is... dotty.

* ShowWithinAShow: ''Nothing On''. ''Noises Off'' does its best to pass ''Nothing On'' off as a real play, as the program will be for ''Nothing On'', with the cast, director, and the author having biographies in the theater program - and as many references to sardines as possible. There are even fake ads in the program, including restaurants bragging about - of course - their sardines.

-->'''Lloyd:''' I don't know what you're waiting for, Garry, her sixteenth birthday?

* AdaptationDecay: The film includes a happy ending not seen in the play, as well as some subplots.
** Also, being a movie, it's presented with cuts and multiple camera angles. The play - Act II especially - is ''much'' more impressive when it's being performed live, because there's no safety net.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The film version has MichaelCaine, CarolBurnett, JohnRitter, and ChristopherReeve, as well as Mark Linn-Baker, Denholm Elliot, Marilu Henner, and Julie Hagerty. The sheer samurai ninja master scene-stealing that goes on is something to behold.

* ItGotWorse: Every production of the ShowWithinAShow ends up getting more and more chaotic, until eventually most of the actors are making things up as they go along.

** Over acts two and three, Garry and Dotty's relationship gets rocky, and Freddie comes to her aid. This leads to Belinda becoming violently jealous, as she appears to be crushing on Freddie.

Not ... ''exactly'' a textbook farce, not exactly a backstager, not even exactly ''a play'', ''Noises Off'' is a repeating exploration of everything that can go wrong in live theatre. All at once. With perfect, split-second timing. Written by the author of the JohnCleese movie ''{{Clockwise}}''. Done right, this work of staggering theatrical genius can make you wet your pants - either from laughing too hard (if you don't have extensive backstage theatrical experience) or from horrified flashbacks (if you do).

The play is in three acts; the first depicts what happens on stage during the dress rehearsal for a Feydeau door-slamming sex farce that's opening in mere hours, with a cast that hasn't had the rehearsal time they'd like, one of whom is not all there, one of whom is even less there, one of whom has trouble with blood, another of whom has trouble with finishing sentences, and, of course, with sardines. We see the ShowWithinAShow proceed, with the occasional pause for corrections, mistakes, errors, rumors, misunderstandings, and of course, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking sardines]].

The third act then wraps everything up with another iteration of the first act, as the audience would see it, after the cast has been on the road for far too long.

* AdaptationDecay: The film includes a happy ending not seen in the play, as well as some subplots.

* AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption: At one point, a character quietly moving about backstage inadvertently shouts "OH MY GOD!"... precisely on cue.

* DeadpanSnarker: The director has seen it all, and is not happy about having done so.

* LoveTriangle: There's a prominent love triangle between Lloyd, Poppy, and Brooke.

** Roger: "We'll only just manage to fit it in. I mean, we'll only just do it. I mean, we won't bother to chill the champagne."

Not ... ''exactly'' a textbook farce, not exactly a backstager, not even exactly ''a play'', ''NoisesOff'' is a repeating exploration of everything that can go wrong in live theatre. All at once. With perfect, split-second timing. Written by the author of the JohnCleese movie ''{{Clockwise}}''. Done right, this work of staggering theatrical genius can make you wet your pants - either from laughing too hard (if you don't have extensive backstage theatrical experience) or from horrified flashbacks (if you do).