Synopsis
One of the greatest British comedies ever written, Noises Off is a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the unpredictability of life in the theatre.
Called “the funniest farce ever written”, Noises Off follows the on and off-stage antics of a touring theatre company as they stumble their way through the fictional farce, Nothing On.
Across three acts we witness: the shambolic final rehearsals, a disastrous matinee seen entirely from backstage and their brilliantly catastrophic final performance.
Noises Off is the godfather of British farces inspiring shows like The Play That Goes Wrong and many others.
Production Details
"Noises Off" by Michael Frayn
Director: Peter Howard
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 13th - 17th October 2009
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Dorothy Otley - Edwina Gascoyne
Lloyd Dallas - Rod Duncan
Garry Lejeune - John Moran
Brooke Ashton - Siobhan Daley
Poppy Norton-Taylor - Jo Waterhouse
Frederick Fellowes - Phil Gascoyne
Belinda Blair - Fran Larkin
Tim Allgood - John Mackinder
Selsdon Mowbray - Roger Bingham
Crew
Director - Peter Howard
Set Design and Construction - Peter Howard, Hansel D'Roza, Bryan Ashcroft, Bradley D'Roza, John Jakins, Graham Ward
Stage Manager - John Jakins
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball / Pam Bush
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Andrea Howard
Front of House - Carolyn Heslop
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward
PRESS
Review by Stephen Grigg
The Tudor Players version of Michael Frayn's farce is a delight. How director Peter Howard managed to get his cast through such a complicated series of shenanigans is anyone's guess.
Each actor has an onstage and offstage persona to contend with. The dress rehearsal contains missed cues, exits and entrances and bothersome props galore. Director Lloyd Dallas, sitting in the audience is getting more than a tad tetchy. It appears offstage tensions are spilling into the play. We then get to see the crazy backstage antics... players improvising... Brooke hilariously carries on with her script... the funniest laugh-out-loud section... a piece of divine farce owing to a repeated cue whereby we have a burglar followed in sweet succession by not one but two burglar understudies.
Fran Larkin is great as Belinda who ties to keep things together onstage and offstage. Siobhan Daley shines as the dizzy ingenue caught up in a love triangle. Roger Bingham puts in an inspired cameo as the infuriating alcoholic, Selsdon. Has anyone seen the sardines?
Synopsis
After her disappearance several years ago, Emma finds that her memory is damaged; there is much she does not recognize or understand. Why does she appear familiar with certain Russian phrases; why has she such a horror of a harmless silver bell, of a portrait on the wall, of knives? Is she, in fact, Emma Cranwell? Behind these questions looms a menacing mystery which finally erupts into violence and horror.
Production Details
"The Edge of Darkness" by Brian Clemens
Director: Carolyn Heslop
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 12th - 16th May 2009
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Penny - Judith Wade
Hardy - Phil Gascoyne
Max Cranwell - Peter Howard
Laura Cranwell - Andrea Howard
Emma - Siobhan Daley
Livago - Stan Roe
Crew
Director - Carolyn Heslop
Set Design and Construction - Peter Howard, Hansel D'Roza, Bryan Ashcroft, John Jakins, Graham Ward, Jo Waterhouse
Stage Manager - John Jakins
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball / Pam Bush
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Edwina Gascoyne
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward
Synopsis
Roger has enough trouble assembling his cricket team to play against the British Railways Maintenance Division Yeading East, but these complications pall before those occurring among their various wives and girlfriends. Bob has trouble between wife and ex-wife, Alex’s girlfriend locks herself in the loo and has hysterics, Dennis flirts indiscriminately until his wife sets fire to his car, huge Maggie cuddles her tiny Kevin in her fur coat, even Roger’s wife - champion tea-maker - rebels against his authority and uncovers his unfortunate peccadillo in Dorking. As a final catastrophe rain starts to fall...
Production Details
"Outside Edge" by Richard Harris
Director: Phil Gascoyne
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 10th - 14th February 2009
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Miriam - Edwina Gascoyne
Roger - Rod Duncan
Bob - Russell Irwin
Dennis - Stan Roe
Maggie - Jenn Aspinall
Kevin - Ross Bannister
Ginnie - Francesca Larkin
Alex - John Moran
Sharon - Siobhan Daley
Crew
Director - Phil Gascoyne
Set Design and Construction - Peter Howard, Bryan Ashcroft, Hansel D'Roza, John Jakins, Graham Ward
Stage Manager - John Jakins
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball / Carolyn Heslop
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Andrea Howard
Front of House - Pam Bush
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward
Synopsis
It is Christmas Eve in the tropical prison colony of Cayenne. Felix Dulay, a hopeless storekeeper, is fearfully awaiting the owner, Gaston. Providence has given the Dulays three guardian angels - three convicts! In no time they have cooked Christmas Dinner - and Felix’s books - and will loose their own executioner on Gaston for his cruel behaviour!
Filmed under the title We’re No Angels starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray this humorously crafted fable is a delight and should not be missed.
Production Details
"My Three Angels" by Sam and Bella Spewack
Director: Peter Howard
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 14th - 18th October 2008
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Emilie Dulay - Andrea Howard
Felix Dulay - Russell Irwin
Madame Parole - Pam Bush
Marie Louise Dulay - Siobhan Daley
Convict- Alfred (4707) - John Moran
Convict- Jules (6817) - Phil Gascoyne
Convict- Joseph (3011) - Roger Bingham
Gaston Lemare - Stan Roe
Paul Cassagon - James McCready
Sub-Lieutenant Espoir - James Roe-Parkin
Crew
Director - Peter Howard
Set Design and Construction - Peter Howard, Bryan Ashcroft, Hansel D'Roza, John Jakins, Phil Redding, Graham Ward
Stage Manager - John Jakins
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Edwina Gascoyne
Front of House - Carolyn Heslop
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward
Synopsis
In this hilarious female version of The Odd Couple, Olive Madison is divorced and living in cheerful chaos in her New York apartment. At Olive’s invitation, the suicidal Florence Ungar, newly separated from her husband, moves in and is soon finding comfort in cooking cleaning and fussing until Olive is almost reduced to a nervous wreck.
It becomes clear that the patterns of their disastrous marriages are already re-occurring.
Equally as funny as the original, male version.
Production Details
"The Odd Couple" by Neil Simon
Director: Carolyn Heslop
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 13th - 17th May 2008
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Sylvie - Sally Vennard
Mickey - Claire Spencer
Renee - Jo Waterhouse
Vera - Pam Bush
Olive Madison - Edwina Gascoyne
Florence Unger - Judith Wade
Manolo Costazuela - Russell Irwin
Jesus Costazuela - Phil Gascoyne
Crew
Director - Carolyn Heslop
Set Design and Construction - Peter Howard, Bryan Ashcroft, Hansel D'Roza, John Jakins, Phil Redding, Graham Ward
Set painting - Bridget Ball
Stage Manager - John Jakins
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball / Carolyn Heslop
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Andrea Howard
Front of House - Janet D'Roza
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward
Synopsis
It’s Christmas. Relatives you hardly ever see arrive at your house for the festivities. No-one receives a present that is at all appropriate. Culinary disasters abound.
Long buried resentments rear their ugly heads as the alcohol flows and tongues are loosened. And the plumbing goes wrong…
Mike Harding’s comedy is painfully - but always amusingly — familiar.
Laugh away the winter blues!
Production Details
"Comfort and Joy" by Mike Harding
Director: Phil Gascoyne
Location: Sheffield Library Theatre
Dates: 5th - 9th February 2008
Tickets: £6 / £7
Cast
Goff - Peter Howard
Margaret - Andrea Howard
Helen - Jo Waterhouse
Martin - Rod Duncan
Fiona - Judith Wade
Jimmy - Steve Hepper
Chapman - David Bramah
Monica - Pam Bush
Kathy - Alicia Armstrong
Crispin - Ross Bannister
Pat - Bridget Ball
Hughie - Roger Bingham
Children / Carollers - Bradley D’Roza, Charlotte Gascoyne, Laura Gascoyne, Liz Hartley, Amy Roe-Parkin
Crew
Director - Phil Gascoyne
Set Design and Construction - Phil Gascoyne, Peter Howard, Bryan Ashcroft, Hansel D'Roza, John Jakins, Phil Redding, Graham Ward
Stage Managers - John Jakins / Graham Ward
Sound - Bryan Ashcroft
Lighting - Hansel D'Roza
Properties - Bridget Ball / Carolyn Heslop
Costumes - Janet D'Roza
Continuity - Carolyn Heslop
Front of House - Janet D'Roza
Ticket Secretaries - Geoff & Lynn Randle / Graham & Ann Ward