TEHRAN – The play “Noises Off” written by Michael Frayn and directed by Arash Bagheri and produced by Shayan Asadian will be staged at the Hilaj Theater in Tehran on May 28.

Bagheri and Asadian will also perform in the 85-minute play along with Shaghayegh Bahrami, Hoda Baratzadeh, Sajjad Salehi, Paeez Ghorbani, Mohammadali Aghdasi, Azad Zia, and Sahel Nahavandi. 

Called the funniest farce ever written, the play presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called “Nothing’s On”. Doors slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

The story happens in a provincial English town, where a theater troupe rehearses a touring production of a comedy. Unfortunately, almost nothing is going right – the cast cannot remember their lines, they mix up their blocking, misplace props, and they've lost sight of why they're acting!

Frayn's “Noises Off” takes a fond look at the follies of theater folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss, and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. 

Frayne gives the audience a window into the inner workings of theater behind the scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance. Brimming with slapstick comedy, “Noises Off” is a delightful backstage farce, complete with slamming doors and, of course, flying sardines!

Michael Frayn, 91, is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce “Noises Off” and the dramas “Copenhagen” and “Democracy”.

Frayn's novels, such as “Towards the End of the Morning,” “Headlong,” and “Spies”, have also been critical and commercial successes, making him one of the handful of writers in the English language to succeed in both drama and prose fiction. 

“Noises Off” will be performed until June 20 at the Hilaj Theater located at No. 22, Samandarian (Mohajer) Alley, Iranshahr St., Karim Khan Zand Blvd.

SS/SAB