In past analyses we were required to identify Hornby’s
element of progression in our respective scripts of choice. In his terms
progression refers to motifs found throughout the text. In Michael Frayn’s Noises Off I found that I found was
progression itself. Many of the characters in the play seem to progress the story
and themselves through the act of repetition. The entirety of the play is
scattered with the repetition and rewording of lines. This happens not only with
the second degree characters, like we might have expected, but it also occurs
with their first degree characters. The characters would often say something
that they were unsure about, go back, restart, and try it again and again until
they got it right. For instance, in the first scene we would expect the Actress
to second guess her words and actions, but the director also stumbles. “I mean, OK, so he’s the, you know. Fine. But, Dotty, love, you've been playing this
part for well, Jesus, Dotty, you know what I mean.( 7)” This repetition and
retrying is something we see in their relationships a well. With all this in
mind, the tag line that I would us if I were to perform this show would be “once
more with feeling.” I think this speaks to the playfulness of the show but also
ties back into the idea of progression. The constant reediting and retrying of
situation are the characters way of growing. The characters not giving up when
at first they don’t succeed is seen throughout the dialogue and story line
itself. If I were to name a unifying principle for this show it would definitely
have something to do with progression because it is a theme seen in many of the
elements of the script, not just the motifs.
I chose the exact same motif in mine! That must mean that we were right, right? Haha. I agree that repetition is so obvious. You mentioned it in the smaller moments during scenes and in specific lines and instances between characters, which I definitely noticed and talked about in my post too. I also noticed it in the large, very obvious repetition of Act One of Nothing On. I think that you’re absolutely on point with your tag line as well.
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