Plays-within-plays in three modern plays: Michael Frayn's Noises Off, Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing and Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval
1988; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.14198/raei.1988.1.14
ISSN2171-861X
Autores Tópico(s)Cultural Studies and Interdisciplinary Research
ResumoA Map of the World, and Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval -just to mention the most famous ones-have relied for part of their theatrical effect on the creation of an imaginary world inside a ñcticious one, so they can juggle with the concepts reality and ¡Ilusión, and interweave the different layers of fiction and metafiction.One might wonder about the reason why this "oíd' feature is still favoured by the most popular and successful of our contemporary playwrights.The answer may be rooted in the inherent qualities of this device.When an author inserts a play within another one, he is at once changing the general approach to his work of art.Some of his characters become ' actors' in the play embedded in the central piece, while others now take the role of the audience, thus becoming one with us.A cióse relationship is established between stage and public, and the footlights seem to disappear while we watch the new play "together.'Notwithstanding the importance of this communion, this is not the solé motive that prompts the author to use this technique.A play within-a-play helps the playwright to reinforce, broaden and deepen the central motif in his main play; it becomes a very valid means to make his audience think about the fictionality of real life and the reality of fiction; and, if its form is that of the mock-rehearsal the playwright is furnished with the formula that will enable him to point out the flaws and enhance the virtues of the theatre, and to comment largely on the state of the theatre of his time.To illustrate the enormous possibilities of this practice, we have chosen three plays by three contemporary playwrights: Michael Frayn's Noises Off (1982), Noises OffIn Michael Frayn's Noises Off, this technique of inserting a play within another one reaches its utmost possibilities, as the author plays each situation to the hilt.This play was first performed at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, on 23 February 1982, and transferred on 31 March to the Savoy Theatre, London.It was given The Best Comedy of the Year Award in 1982, and, after six years of unrelenting popularity, it is still playing to full houses.A similar success was achieved on Broadway -where it was also chosen as The Best Comedy of the Year in 1984-, and in Madrid in 1985.In the following year, the play was staged in Barcelona with yet another histrionic component that added an extra dimensión to the fictitious element of fiction; the actors used two different languages: Catalán in Noises Off, Spanish in NothingOn.Noises Off is a skilful, hilarious, farcical and, at the same time, loving comment on the very essence of the theatre, on the wizardry, and also on the drudgery, effort and pain needed to make a man's dreamt world come to life.Right from the moment we buy the programme, we are trapped by the rings of circles within circles of the plot, unable to draw a clear line between fiction and reality, as, next to the customary list of the cast, in order of appearance, ñame of director, etc., we are pleasantly surprised when we realize there is a second Russian dolí inside the first one: the cast of Nothing On.We are informed that the play was written by Robin Housemonger, directed by Lloyd Dallas, and that this is the "World premiére prior to national tour.'This valuable information is followed by a long and detailed list of dates and times of performance, rules of the house, the production credits and the ñames of the sponsors -sardines, contact lenses, straitjacket and coffins are duly thanked to the different companies, and special mention is given to the European Breweries for their "generous support"-.Moreover, we are also given a summary of the successful careers of the actors, containing such interesting details as: Garry Lejeune (Roger Tramplemain)...Recently made his bigscreen'debut in Up the Virgin Soldiers, l'or which be was nominated as Best.Male Newcomer under Forty in any British Low-Budget Comedy Kilmby readersoftheSun newspaper.Urooke Ashton (Vicki) is probably best knuwn as the girl wearing nothing but "good, honest, natural f'roth' in the Hauptbahnhofbrau lager commercial. . .
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