Noises Off
Written by Michael Frayn
Directed by Gregory Boyd
Where: Thompson Theater at the Roselle Center for the Arts
(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)
When: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Photo by Paul Cerro
No need to bury the lede here...The Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware have produced what is likely the funniest piece of theater I've ever seen performed in their current production of Noises Off. Granted, they're working with what many call the best comedic play of the modern era, but it's a piece that needs a stellar troupe of actors to pull off the need for both spot-on slapstick and well-timed verbal barbs and, as is typically the case with the REP, the group doesn't disappoint. In fact, they simply exceeded all expectations -- and there were some lofty ones seeing as how I had read that this play performed properly is a laugh riot.
When the play begins we find ourselves front and center at the final dress rehearsal for the play Nothing On -- a ridiculously written British sex farce filled with door slamming, innuendo, and a bit of mistaken identity. The play's awful, but the troupe of seven past-their-prime or never-to-have-their-prime actors are still trudging through it. To the director Lloyd Dallas, it's a lost cause that only a large consumption of pills and alcohol can make better, but he still attempts to get the cast in line prior to the opening night a mere eighteen hours away.
Although Act One of the play was certainly funny, nothing could have prepared me for Acts II and III where I think my cheeks started to hurt from laughing so much. [I also discovered that my tear ducts still work seeing as how there were some uproariously funny moments that caused my eyes to well up.] Act II finds us watching Act I of Nothing On again, but this time from backstage. It's Feburary, a month into the production, and the actors are getting on each other's nerves leading to hilarity and a bit of treachery in the wings. In the final act of Noises Off, we once again view Act I of Nothing On in April, and the traveling company of Nothing On is a wreck. Anything that could go wrong does, but as is the case in theater, "the show must go on"...and it does in the most gut-bustingly ways.
A farce within a farce, writer Michael Frayn has crafted comedic gold here. By showing the audience what Nothing On is supposed to look like in Act I (which still provides its share of laughs), Frayn is able to cull humor from all the mishaps that occur in Acts II and III of Noises Off. I imagine that this is an incredibly difficult play to direct particularly because of the need for dead-on timing and Gregory Boyd has succeeded in this production. This troupe of actors (seen below) nails it and that's a credit to him.
And the actors...The REP over the years has provided some great theater. Excellent drama, excellent comedy, but I don't think we've yet to see them perform a play in which every member of the REP was in the production. Here, we see all eight members perform together (along with guest actor John Tyson) and the way they gel together is kind of amazing. I know that a play like this takes a lot of work, but it sure looked like they were having a helluva lot of fun up there and that feeling permeated into the audience who had a riotous time as well.
Where do you even begin when it comes to pointing out the actors here seeing as how every single one of them was stellar? They all (for the most part) have to take on double roles as both the characters in Nothing On and their actor-counterparts and they've crafted unique personalities for both roles. I could list stand-outs, but I'd be listing the whole cast -- Kathleen Pirkl Tague, Stephen Pelinski, Mic Matarrese, Deena Burke, Carine Montbertrand, Steve Tague, Elizabeth Heflin, Michael Gotch, and John Tyson -- and that would just take up a whole lot of room, wouldn't it?
Honestly, if you're in the vicinity of Newark, Delaware, it's simply a disservice to yourself to not get down to the University of Delaware and see this production. You won't be sorry. And, who knows, you might even get to see your intrepid reviewer there as I'm certainly going to snatch up another ticket to see this one.
When the play begins we find ourselves front and center at the final dress rehearsal for the play Nothing On -- a ridiculously written British sex farce filled with door slamming, innuendo, and a bit of mistaken identity. The play's awful, but the troupe of seven past-their-prime or never-to-have-their-prime actors are still trudging through it. To the director Lloyd Dallas, it's a lost cause that only a large consumption of pills and alcohol can make better, but he still attempts to get the cast in line prior to the opening night a mere eighteen hours away.
Although Act One of the play was certainly funny, nothing could have prepared me for Acts II and III where I think my cheeks started to hurt from laughing so much. [I also discovered that my tear ducts still work seeing as how there were some uproariously funny moments that caused my eyes to well up.] Act II finds us watching Act I of Nothing On again, but this time from backstage. It's Feburary, a month into the production, and the actors are getting on each other's nerves leading to hilarity and a bit of treachery in the wings. In the final act of Noises Off, we once again view Act I of Nothing On in April, and the traveling company of Nothing On is a wreck. Anything that could go wrong does, but as is the case in theater, "the show must go on"...and it does in the most gut-bustingly ways.
A farce within a farce, writer Michael Frayn has crafted comedic gold here. By showing the audience what Nothing On is supposed to look like in Act I (which still provides its share of laughs), Frayn is able to cull humor from all the mishaps that occur in Acts II and III of Noises Off. I imagine that this is an incredibly difficult play to direct particularly because of the need for dead-on timing and Gregory Boyd has succeeded in this production. This troupe of actors (seen below) nails it and that's a credit to him.
Photo by Evan Krape
And the actors...The REP over the years has provided some great theater. Excellent drama, excellent comedy, but I don't think we've yet to see them perform a play in which every member of the REP was in the production. Here, we see all eight members perform together (along with guest actor John Tyson) and the way they gel together is kind of amazing. I know that a play like this takes a lot of work, but it sure looked like they were having a helluva lot of fun up there and that feeling permeated into the audience who had a riotous time as well.
Where do you even begin when it comes to pointing out the actors here seeing as how every single one of them was stellar? They all (for the most part) have to take on double roles as both the characters in Nothing On and their actor-counterparts and they've crafted unique personalities for both roles. I could list stand-outs, but I'd be listing the whole cast -- Kathleen Pirkl Tague, Stephen Pelinski, Mic Matarrese, Deena Burke, Carine Montbertrand, Steve Tague, Elizabeth Heflin, Michael Gotch, and John Tyson -- and that would just take up a whole lot of room, wouldn't it?
Honestly, if you're in the vicinity of Newark, Delaware, it's simply a disservice to yourself to not get down to the University of Delaware and see this production. You won't be sorry. And, who knows, you might even get to see your intrepid reviewer there as I'm certainly going to snatch up another ticket to see this one.
I already got more tickets for the 9th :) Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will enjoy it just as much the second time. I still haven't gotten mine yet...
ReplyDelete