Death
David Ives’ “All in the Timing” and Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off” are two plays which manage to overcome death and dark themes by skilful timing and framing of dark elements within lighter and farcical works. In both plays death is so close yet comical elements keep the characters at an unreal distance from it thereby not making it a powerful obstacle to overcome. In “All in the Timing” which contains six one act plays, Ives frames the last 36 hours of Trotsky’s death by the one act play proceeding it “The Universal Language” and the one act play which follows it “Philadelphia” which both included elements of the ridiculous while the Trotsky play itself manages to overcome its dark content by Trotsky’s fear of ice picks all the while having a mountaineer’s axe wedged in his head. ... Surrounded by the unreal and comical acts of one and three does an adequate job of lightening the content of act two, but act two itself contains a large amount of slap stick and physical comedy which lightens the elements of death and successfully continues in its comic frame. ... Ives is bold in his intelligent perception of relationships (“Sure Thing”), perceptions (“Philadelphia”), sociology and cultural norms (“Words, Words, Words” and “The Universal Language”), and death (“Variations on the Death of Trotsky”). ... Depending on the production, “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” is usually framed by the Acts “The Universal Language” and “Philadelphia” which both deal with language and miscommunication. ... The sense of the ridiculous which has been seen in “The Universal Language” is the Act which precedes “Variations in the Death of Trotsky” and so enters Trotsky with a mountaineer’s axe still wedged in his head and equally befuddled. Death is apparent but not taken seriously.