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Noises Off

[from this article published July 19, 2016 in The Tri-City Voice]

By Jessica Noël Chapin

Laura Morgan as Flavia/Belinda, Jeffrey Trescott as Burglar/Selsden, and Lauren Bernal Jackson as Poppy in Broadway West Theatre's production of “Noises Off,”; playing through Aug. 13, 2016.

photo by Evelyn Huynh

“Doors and sardines…thats what its all about, doors and sardines… That's farce. That's the theatre. That's life.” This is Noises Off, and life, in a nutshell according to Lloyd Dallas, director of the play-within-the-play. This unique bit of theatre written in 1982 by English playwright Michael Frayn is sure to have you laughing out loud until your sides hurt.

Noises Off is a farcical comedy that takes place in several fictitious theatres in England. Each act contains a different evolution of a play called Nothing On. The characters are all actors in the secondary play, struggling to get down their lines and timing while entangled in myriad personal dramas.

When Act I opens, it begins as any other play. The actress, Celeste Coit, playing Dotty Otley, who is playing Mrs. Clackett, enters the scene and speaks. It isn't until the director, Lloyd Dallas, played by Charles Parker stands up among the audience and instructs her to leave her plate of sardines that the audience realizes this is a play about actors in another play.

Act I is the final rehearsal for Nothing On. It is midnight and opening night is just hours away. The actors complain about the excessive use of props—four plates of sardines in Act I—and fumble their entrances and exits through the seven doors on stage. Only Brooke, played by Sara Morris is on spot with every line, regardless of whether her fellow actors are responding!

In Act II, we see the actors a month later on tour. This time, however, the play is viewed from behind stage. This is where the real drama occurs. Lloyd is involved in a love triangle between Brooke and the assistant stage manager Poppy. Dotty and Garry are fighting behind stage, and Garry is threatening dim-witted Freddie with violence over the belief that he and Dotty are having an affair.

The final act takes place at the end of the tour, and the view is once again of the audience perspective of the stage. The characters have completely devolved as a result of their ongoing dramas and their play, Nothing On, soon is on its “last legs.” Hilarity ensues as the cast tries desperately to keep the play going in spite of the many mishaps and essential refusal of Dotty to cooperate. There was no one star of the show, as each of these actors held equal space within the play.

Sara Renée Morris as Vicki/Brooke, Aaron Weisberg as Philip/Freddy, and Celeste Kitamata Coit as Mrs. Clackett/Dotty in Broadway West Theatre's production of “Noises Off,”; playing through Aug. 13, 2016.

photo by Evelyn Huynh

The play-within-the-play concept, and behind the stage view, will be of special interest to those who have worked in theatre. Many a frustrated director, scrambling to get his crew assembled by opening night, will see themselves in Lloyd Dallas. Lloyd muses that this is “what God felt like when he sat out there in the darkness, creating the world…very pleased he'd taken his Valium.”

Broadway West has long wanted to perform Noises Off, but was hesitant due to the small space. The set is key in this play. The excessive exits and entrances through a variety of doors, on two floors, make the farce possible. With each play I have seen at this theatre, I am always impressed by their creative and efficient use of the comparatively small stage. During the transition between Acts II and III, the audience sat entranced while the stage hands assembled the enormous puzzle that was the set. They received a round of applause for the magical transformation.

The world is in need of more comedy, and Broadway West has excelled in bringing a great comedic show to the area. Grab a friend, or come on your own, and experience the love of community theatre!