Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)
Photo courtesy of Sean Carter Photography
(Top Row L to R) Cory Cunningham, Cheryl Turski, Ron Williams; (Middle Row L to R) Phil Powers, Stephanie Nichols, Dani Cochrane;
(Bottom Row L to R) Anthony Guest, Jennifer Byrne, Stephen Blackwell
A Comic Cataclysm in Three Acts
A gentleman hopping up and down stairs with his trousers around his ankles. A lady clad only in her underwear running around in high heels. Seven different doors slamming at regular intervals. You may have rightly guessed it: “Noises Off” is a farce. But in its West End and Broadway beginnings in the early 1980s, it was also a broadly-textured spectacle acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Meadow Brook Theatre now presents this very silly, very enjoyable farce-within-a-farce to close out its 56th season.
“Noises Off”, which in stage lingo means sounds coming from offstage, was created by English playwright Michael Frayn in 1982. It uses the popular play-within-a-play theme, with the added twist that it’s also observed from backstage in the second act, which is the most fun (and revealing). It tells the story of a hopelessly inept acting troupe struggling to rehearse and perform the touring production of a British sex farce called “Nothing On” set in an aristocratic country home. We see opening night descending upon them in less than 24 hours, and it’s not going well. Lines are flubbed repeatedly. Plates of sardines mysteriously disappear and reappear. Tempers flare between director and cast. The show moves on to secret romances, pratfalls and wardrobe malfunctions galore. And there’s a surprise wedding in there someplace.
Stephen Blackwell, Stephanie Nichols, Anthony Guest, Phil Powers
This excellent ensemble cast includes nine energetic MBT veterans, some with impressive Off-Broadway and TV credentials. Now this is where things can get complicated: six play dual roles – as the actors in “Noises Off”, they are also playing the actors in “Nothing On”. Phil Powers creates more than his share of funny business as the boozy old trouper Selsdon Mowbray, who in turn is playing the Burglar. Anthony Guest is superbly goofy as dimwitted actor Freddy. He keeps dropping his trousers and getting nosebleeds while trying to play the character Phillip, the owner of the country home. Jennifer Byrne has a smoothly jovial stage presence as the actress Belinda playing the role of Flavia, Freddy’s wife. Stephanie Nichols is charming as Dotty, an older actress playing the Cockney maid Mrs Clackett. She keeps forgetting what she’s supposed to do with those all-important plates of sardines. Notable is the lovely Cheryl Turski as aspiring actress Brooke (playing Vicki, a visitor). Brooke loses her contact lenses as often as Freddy drops his trousers. She spends the rest of her time posing and gesturing lavishly, galloping across the stage in the aforementioned underwear/high heels outfit. Stephen Blackwell shows his flair for physical comedy as mediocre actor Garry (playing Roger, a rental agent determined to seduce Vicki).
The other three cast members play the director Lloyd Dallas (Ron Williams), stage manager Tim Allgood (Corey Cunningham) and assistant stage manager Poppy (Dani Chochrane). Williams delivers a strong performance as the befuddled director. He’s got quite the active love life that includes Brooke and Poppy and who knows who. Cunningham and Cochrane are especially good as they desperately try to hold everything together, sometimes in tears.
The sturdy, well-designed set by Kristen Gribben is a revolving country home on casters, transforming from the audience-facing set of “Nothing On” to the backstage view, so we can observe the shenanigans from behind the scenes. In all, we see three different versions of “Nothing On”. Act I: the dress rehearsal, where nothing goes right; Act II: the backstage view of a matinee where only some things go wrong (the most entertaining of the three); Act III: the final performance, were everything descends into hilarious chaos. At this point, everyone is moving so fast and in so many directions, it’s a marvel they can even stand at the end of the show to take their bows.
Cheryl Turski, Jennifer Byrne, Anthony Guest, plate of Sardines
There are incredible physical demands on the cast, a wonder to behold. It can also be a rollercoaster ride watching the actors switch back and forth between their farce-style acting to a more ‘realistic’ comedy style. As they move in and out of different characters, this contrast of styles seems to be muted much of the time, although the cast carries it off well.
Kudos to director Travis Walter, who has made this incredibly challenging, crazy show a marathon comedy of errors and nonsensical silly bits. It can be hard to follow at times, but the pacing is frenetic, the timing is spot-on and the energy is high. It does run a bit long at nearly three hours (with two ten-minute intermissions), but the laughs and the non-stop frenzy will leave you breathless.
Now through June 25, 2023
Tickets $37 to $46
Meadow Brook Theatre at Wilson Hall
Oakland University
378 Meadow Brook Rd
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
(248) 377-3300
www.mbtheatre.com
A special note: As Covid-19 is a constantly changing situation, MBT will be monitoring and adhering to the guidance given by the CDC, the State of Michigan, the Actor’s Equity Association, and Oakland University. Check the Meadow Brook Theatre website at www.mbtheatre.com for the latest information on efforts to keep everyone safe.
This theater operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers of the United States. The theater operates under the agreement with the International Alliance of Theatre Stage employees, Local 38.
Meadow Brook Theatre’s season is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kresge Foundation, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation and the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild.
