MALVERN audiences it seems like nothing better than a bit of farce and slapstick.

Monday night's nearly full-house was full of laughter and rapturous applause for the opening night of Noises Off, brought by the Ambassador Theatre Group as part of a national tour to Malvern Theatres.

With its similarities to the accident-prone physical comedy of Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em and Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, the play could have easily gone back in time 30 years to stand in line with 70's sitcoms.

The cast's lithe, stair-tumbling lothario Garry Lejeune, played by James Albrecht, could have taken stunt lessons from Michael Crawford, or even from film's first action maestro, Buster Keaton.

There was even a touch of Benny Hill, thanks to an underdressed, dim-witted bimbo performance by Tilly Gaunt.

The ensemble cast was also greatly helped by a hilariously exhausted performance by Cheryl Campbell as Dotty Ottley.

By these comparisons, it should be easy to gather that Noises Off is as far from high brow theatre as bananas are from fir trees. It is instead a metaphor-free-zone of light entertainment whose mastery is all in fast pace, good timing and easily identifiable characters.

Noises Off continues in Malvern until Saturday.

Ally Hardy