Michael Caine only agreed to be in the film if the director also cast Denholm Elliott. Caine had known Elliott since they appeared in Der Verführer läßt schön grüßen (1966), 26 years previously, and Elliott had confided in Caine that he had AIDS and didn't have long to live. Knowing this was likely to be Elliott's last chance of a paycheck Caine insisted on his inclusion. Elliott died just a few months after the theatrical release of the movie of complications from AIDS.
The play on which this movie was based is done in three acts; Act 1 is the final dress rehearsal in January; Act 2 is a performance some time later; Act 3 is a performance in April. The bridge scenes, with Sir Michael Caine's voice-over narration, including the opening scene where he leaves the theater and the ending scene where he returns, were written for this movie, and do not appear in the play. In the play, the last line is the frantic call for "Curtain!"
The movie's title "Noises Off!" is a stage cue used by playwrights in plays to indicate noises that occur offstage.
The original Broadway production of "Noises Off!" by Michael Frayn opened on December 11, 1983 at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, ran for 553 performances with a cast that included Victor Garber and Dorothy Loudon, and received a nomination for the 1984 Tony Award for Best Play.