Noises Off,now playing at Contemporary Theater of Dallas, is British playwright Michael Frayn's funniest play. Originally produced in England in 1982, it is a play-within-a-play that involves a second-rate theatrical troupe producing the play, “Nothing On.”
CTDs production is problematic from only one point of view: Noises Off has been re-written and updated at least half a dozen times, and CTD doesn't cite which iteration of the play we are seeing; thus there are disconnects between this script and the original. While this fact doesn't diminish the enjoyment of experiencing the show, it is frustrating for those who are familiar with the original version.
We see Act One of “Nothing On” during rehearsal the night before opening, again backstage during the opening performance, and several months later as the play progresses (or actually regresses). The plot involves cast members who are oblivious to entrance and exit cues, a tippling burglar, Selsden Mowbray (Kim Titus), a scatterbrained housekeeper, Mrs. Clackett, aptly named Dotty (Lisa Fairchild), a love triangle among Roger/Garry (Michael McGough), Vicki/Brooke (Carine Rice), and Poppy (Juliette Talley). Dotty is looking after the house of Philip Brent/Frederick Fellows (David H.M. Lambert) and his wife, Flavia/Belinda Blair (Jennifer Kuenzer) while they are in Spain avoiding the Inland Revenue (think IRS). They return surreptitiously and unexpectedly throwing a monkey wrench into Garry's plans for a tryst with Brooke, while Tim, the assistant stage manager (Lloyd Harvey) and Poppy try valiantly to hold things together. All this mayhem is presided over by Lloyd Dallas (Chad Gowen Spear), the director of “Nothing On.”
Director Robin Armstrong stages the best production I have seen of Noises Off. It is apparent from the precision of the frantic antics backstage in ACT Two that Ms. Armstrong has an extensive background in fight choreography.
The entire cast turn in formidable performances in this madcap farce; however, if anyone were to miss a cue, nobody would notice. There are several standout characterizations: Lisa Fairchild as Mrs. Clackett: her English accent is spot on; Chad Gowen Spear as the ovebearing, frustrated director; Kim Titus as Selsden Mowbray, the comic and often absent drunk, and Juliette Talley as the flummoxed stage manager.
