Synopsis
During a dress rehearsal for the bedroom farce Nothing On by Robin Housemonger, director Lloyd Dallas tries to keep his theater troupe on task so the play can open on time and launch its tour through the British provinces. Dotty can’t remember her lines or her props, stage manager Tim attends to doors that won’t open or close, Brooke loses her contacts and Garry loses his cool. Despite countless setbacks and through sheer perseverance, the troupe makes it through the first act mostly unscathed. But there’s no telling what will happen when the tour begins. A month later, strained nerves and dropped lines are a quaint memory. Actors are nowhere to be found or threaten to quit, and backstage squabbles spill onstage while a whisky bottle and bouquet of flowers keep
ending up in the wrong hands. By the end of the tour, all hell has broken loose as the troupe stumbles through a disaster of a performance that makes “the show must go on” a debatable adage.
Britishisms
Bloke: Man, fellow
fruit machine: Slot machine
house agents: Real estate agents
leg over: Slang for sexual intercourse
letting: Renting or leasing for temporary possession
loo: Bathroom, toilet
quid: A sterling pound (today worth about $1.30)
ring: Call via telephone
row: Argument, quarrel
smalls: Underclothes, underwear
telly: Television
usual offices: Euphemism for a bathroom, toilet, outhouse, etc.
VAT: Value-Added Tax; a consumption tax most commonly used in Europe that is collected at points along the manufacturing/ distribution chain instead of at the end (like sales tax)
