Review: Noises Off! at Shoreline Community College

Noises Off

By Michael Frayn

Directed By Bryar Golden

Shoreline Community College Theater

December 4 - 13

Review by Doug Gochanour

Noises off is a British farcical comedy, which invites the audience to view potential pitfalls and pratfalls in the production of a play. Movie buffs may recall it as a 1982 film, staring Carol Burnett, Marilu Henner, Nicollette Sheridan, Michael Caine, John Ritter, and Christopher Reeve.

The Shoreline Community College Theater production has a great cast and crew giving the audience a fun evening with their performance. Act 1 opens with a set of actors preparing to perform a bedroom farce called Nothing On. The audience gets to watch the technical and dress rehearsal for Nothing On, the play-within-a-play. This rehearsal hints at a complexity of relationships among the cast, which forebodes potential deterioration of their planned performance.

English playwright Michael Frayn wished to show the audience what it would be like to view a play from behind the stage. For Act 2, the stage is dismantled, rotated, and reconstructed facing away from the audience. This dramatic transformation of viewpoint allows the audience to witness the challenging interactions and flaws of the cast, including flirtations, jealousy, drunkenness, personal drama, and misunderstandings.

Here's William James ("Will") Lavely as "Garry",  who can hardly finish a sentence
and Monika Michels as "Brooke", a contact lens-challenged beauty,
who knows her lines but little else. Where are they going?

The audience is invited to watch the reconstruction of the set to its original form during intermission. This is a fascinating process in itself. It’s like watching “Act 2.5.”

Act 3 culminates a month long run, with the final performance suffering from all the backstage drama built up over time. Bedlam is the best description for the final performance of Nothing On. Attempts to deal with bungled lines, miscues, prop failures, pranks, and totally deteriorated relationships, add up to great fun. It makes Noises Off a hilariously entertaining theatre experience.

You’ll be happy that you chose to see this delightful romp. On top of that, you’re supporting our talented young actors, while enjoying a unique evening of entertainment.

Buy tickets online here

Shoreline Community College Theatre, 16101 Greenwood Ave N
Campus maps - parking free in the evening.