SALT LAKE CITY — A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to perform in a production of Noises Off. To date, it is one of the most difficult rehearsal processes I’ve ever had as a performer. It’s a play that requires such intense attention to detail that until everything clicks into place, you end up feeling very much like the character you play: trapped forever in a final rehearsal before the show goes on and not entirely sure it will ever work. While many scripts allow for a certain level of flexibility in the suggested blocking, the intricacies of Michael Frayn’s farce are so specific that most productions of the show are echoes of each other in order to work at all. Every element of the show has to be so carefully planned in order to appear spontaneous and effortless—and to allow the comedy to shine through. While opening night of the Parker Theatre’s production of Noises Off did have a few dropped sardines, it pulls together all the necessary elements and is largely a great time.
Noises Off plays at Parker Theatre through June 26 | Photo Credit: Parker Theatre
What’s it About?
Like the more recent Play That Goes Wrong, Noises Off centers around a troupe of actors putting on a touring production of the fictional farce, Nothing On. Act One is the night before opening during the final rehearsal, act two during the middle of a show after opening, and act three after the show has been on the road for a while. Throughout, the relationships of the cast and crew are tested, with relationships being forged and broken under the backdrop of trying to hold it together in front of live audiences. It’s all very meta and ridiculous and, as pointed out in the program, really best seen live. There is a good film version of the show (featuring a stellar cast that includes Carol Burnett, Christopher Reeve, and Michael Caine), but the stakes and comedy are all far punchier live.
Strong (Bad) Performances
While the entire cast is excellent, I was particularly entertained by Roger Dunbar as Gary/Roger and Corinne Adair Myers as Brooke/Vicki. Gary is prone to saying both everything and nothing all at once, often ending his sentences with “you know” when he feels he’s made his point well. The best Gary’s will know exactly what they are trying to convey so that each feels distinct in their incoherence, and Dunbar was marvelous. He gave Gary an almost hippie, sage quality of self-assured wisdom and experience that was enormously funny throughout, especially when he’s trying to make sense of where the plot of Nothing On has got off track and how to fix it.
As Brooke, Adair Myers brought a new eagerness to the role that I haven’t seen before. Brooke is clearly cast because of her relationship with director Lloyd (Michael Hohl), and is there primarily to serve as ditzy eye-candy within the show. Her inability to improvise when things go wrong offers some of the most memorable humor in the show, and while Adair Myers definitely lands those built-in opportunities with flair, she added a sincerity to Brooke that was delightful. I loved watching her say the lines of her scene partners along with them, and the way she responds to being scolded by Lloyd at the end of act one is perfection.
Accenting with Accents
It’s worth calling out the decision to give the gossip-prone mother hen Belinda (MacKenzie Pederson) and threadbare stage manager Poppy (Nicole Holbrook) southern and Minnesotan accents respectively. I’ve never seen either choice made before and found them to be enormously effective.
Belinda is so the glue of the production, keeping things functional when infighting disrupts the show, but giving her an Annie Oakley swagger gave Pederson much more levity and spunk, opening the door for more comedy in their performance than Belinda often has.
Similarly, something about that sweet, “mom” voice of the northern Minnesota mom suits Holbrook’s performance and adds to the cringe-comedy of her plight throughout. She is excellent.
Doors, Doors, Doors
The set of Noises Off is a massive undertaking that requires eight separate doors, some of which need to malfunction, two stories for performance, as well as the ability to turn around efficiently for re-setting during each intermission. It’s a mammoth task for any theatre, and James B. Parker’s design is well done, with great attention to detail and efficient use of space. It’s quite a lot to pack in on the Parker stage, which is smaller than most for a show that requires a set of this size. I do wish the curtain would have been left open for the change between acts two and three as other companies have done to allow a bit of a peek at the backstage magic and a chance to acknowledge the crew making it all happen, but it’s a minor quibble.
Tight Spaces and Panic
It’s hard to overstate just how hard a show Noises Off is to do well. It’s a show that requires time to season and settle into place. Opening night at the Parker showed signs of that, with moments with actors stepping on each other’s lines a bit at the top of each act, for instance, and some jokes that didn’t land as well as they could have. There was a general sense throughout especially the second two acts of the show of being just a bit panicked and nervous.
I’d love to see a bit more time, particularly in act two, where audiences can see characters realize and decide, rather than anticipate their decisions so quickly. Some of the character development in that crucial second act got a bit muddy in the jumble of action happening so fast. However, I am confident that with a bit more time, this talented cast will settle in a bit more and take the confident energy of the beginning of the show into the finale.
Final Thoughts
There are some productions I’ve seen that I wish I could see again for the first time because I know they’ll never hit the same way again, and then there are shows like Noises Off that are perennial favorites. Even after having seen it as many times as I have and performing in it myself, there are still line that catch me off guard and make me laugh when put in the hands of a new director and cast. There were so many of those moments in the Parker Theatre production that I can absolutely recommend it as a great night out for the whole family.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
