Hired to helm an Americanized take on a British play, director Lloyd Fellowes does his best to control an eccentric group of stage actors. With a star actress quickly passing her prime, a male lead with no confidence, and a bit actor that's rarely sober, chaos ensues in the lead up to a Broadway premiere.
Acting
Carol Burnett's staircase descent belongs in a museum.
Direction
Bogdanovich's long takes hide the surgical precision.
Practical Effects
That set is the real star — and it's trying to kill everyone.
Director
Peter Bogdanovich
Carol Burnett
Dotty Otley / Mrs. Clackett
Michael Caine
Lloyd Fellowes
Denholm Elliott
Selsdon Mowbray / The Burglar
Julie Hagerty
Poppy Taylor
Marilu Henner
Belinda Blair / Flavia Brent
Mark Linn-Baker
Tim Allgood
Christopher Reeve
Frederick Dallas / Philip Brent
John Ritter
Garry Lejeune / Roger Tramplemain
Nicollette Sheridan
Brooke Ashton / Vicki
Zoe Cassavetes
Miami Stagehand
Louise Stratten
Broadway Stagehand
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The original stage play by Michael Frayn was inspired by watching a dreadful Noël Coward farce from backstage — he realized the real show was behind the scenes.
Bogdanovich insisted on filming act two in one continuous 45-minute take; the actors' exhaustion is genuine, making their physical comedy even more miraculous.
US
