Noises Off

One motif that really stood out to me was the whole sardines’ thing. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out. Dotty takes the sardines when she’s supposed to leave them, Garry questions the use of them, etc. Long story short, the sardines appear and disappear multiple times in the mischief of Nothing On and the drama of Noises Off. In fact, the last line of the play (Nothing On) by Selsdon is, “When all around is strife and uncertainty, there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned plate of sardines.” The sardines are essential to the play because without them, the entire atmosphere changes. I believe they represent the relationships of everyone in Noises Off. First, no one knows for sure when they’re on or when they’re off, just like the relationships back stage. There are tons of misunderstandings going on, like Dotty thinking Tim brought the flowers for her, Garry seeing Frederick and Dotty share a kiss, Lloyd attempting to woo/apologize to Brooke and everyone believing the wine bottle belongs to Selsdon. Belinda is probably in the best position of them all, but she’s constantly helping everyone else. Second, if they aren’t present when required, improvising will take place. Everyone back stage was in a professional setting and in flux with their lover(s), so technically for the moment the relationships were on hold. This explains Garry dumping the sardines on Dotty, Dotty tying Garry’s laces together, Garry trying to hit Frederick with the axe, Brooke not being on stage in time, etc. They all did whatever because for the time being, they were free. I could go one, but I’ll move on lol. That being said, my “tag line” for this play could definitely be Selsdon’s last line, but I think I’d prefer it to be the title of the play with in the play, Nothing On. This fits perfectly because it’s an antonym and a synonym for the piece. On “stage”, there’s really nothing going on for the viewers because of what’s occurring backstage, which is anything but. What’s funny is that almost everything happening behind the scenes is based off of nothing (no real evidence, just misinterpretations), but it all turns it to something, which again leads to nothing on stage. The last performance is really fitting for both titles because noises are off and there’s nothing on.