"Noises Off" at TU: Causing a Commotion

SHOW INFORMATION: Through 3/13; Tues – Thurs at 7:30PM on the Main Stage at Towson University.  Tickets are $12 general/$7 students.  Information at www.towson.edu. 

◊◊◊◊◊ out of five.  2 hours, 40 minutes, including two intermissions.  Adult language and sexual humor.

This is the kind of review I love to write – one with virtually nothing negative to say, which I will get out of the way shortly.  The production of Noises Off which opened last week at Towson University is practically perfect in every way – from casting to design to direction.  I have seen less adept productions of this standard setting farce by card carrying professionals, and I say "bravo!" to all involved.  This wonderful production concludes with weeknight performances, Tuesday through Thursday, all at 7:30 PM.  I tell you this now so that, if you can tear yourselves away from American Idol or the other garbage on TV, get to Towson University and see some genuine entertainment. 

First, the minor quibbles I have with the production: one, the accents are appropriately thick, as the play is inhabited by British actors, but at first they are a bit jarring, and the pace so rapid they are a bit hard to understand.  Perhaps a tinge slower and a wee bit louder would do the trick?  And secondly, when the set of the play is facing the audience, there is a garden/outdoor drop visible.  When we are watching things from backstage, the drop is gone, I'm assuming so we can see that the action "onstage" is actually happening.  In truth, unless you are seated dead center and to house left, you can't see anyway, meaning most of the audience can't see that anyway.  But it doesn't help that 95% of the time the actors walk around backstage without any nod to the audience being able to see them.  That is it for the negatives. 

Daniel Ettinger has come up with the perfect farce set – lots of steps, lots of doors - and all in the milieu of a British country home.  The beautifully painted stone walls and the whimsical stripped wall paper give the set interest, but don't overwhelm the audience.  And by keeping the furnishings to a minimum, sightlines are secure and the focus can be nearly exclusively on the important part, the actors.  Justin Van Hassell's lighting is also kept simple, especially in the "dark" of backstage, illuminated enough to let us see the action, but dark enough to remind us we are backstage.  Wendy Dietz's costumes are period appropriate and are contrasting enough that we can immediately identify and keep track of the characters. 

Under Peter Wray's deft direction, this production goes like a runaway train, faster than a speeding bullet, slowed down only by two entirely necessary intermissions, necessary for a really nice scene change (it got applause the night I attended) and to allow the audience to visit the facilities after an hour of non-stop, gut-busting laughter at a time.  Without giving away too much, for those unfamiliar with Noises Off, the plot is simple, only the permutations are complicated.  Act one is the final rehearsal for the show before it opens its national tour.  In that, we see these characters as the actors and the characters they play, warts and all.  We also sort of see how the play should run.  Act two shows us the action from backstage, mid tour, after several cast members have developed relationships, fights and jealousies.  They try to mess each other up, and what makes it all the more hysterical is that act two is done almost entirely in silence – a backstage ballet, if you will.  I cannot imagine what the script must look like.  Act three takes us to the closing performance where ego and fatigue have taken their toll, and where anything that can go wrong pretty much does. 

The entire company is to be commended for superlative ensemble work.  Their rhythm and timing, particularly in act two, is close to flawless.  They are uniformly so professional; you'd never guess they were undergraduates if it weren't for the program.  It is also no small fete that they are able to convincingly play all three aspects of performance – rehearsal, backstage and final show – as if it were actually happening and not as thoroughly rehearsed as this production clearly has.  Again, congratulations to director Peter Wray for helming this challenging ship.  As the "backstage crew," Robert Harris and Emily McKinley-Hill do superb work of acting like they are not actors, while still nailing every bit, sight gag and comic line.  Both make the most of their moments to shine and add nicely to the entire picture. 

As the oldest and most pickled actor in the company, Christopher Kinslow is entirely convincing as an old man, losing his faculties but still bright enough to handle a small role.  I'm not even 100% sure Mr. Kinslow really isn't an older gentleman.  It doesn't matter, because he is THAT good either way.  Jonathan Scheffenacker, as the, um, dimmest actor onstage, is an absolute scream.  It is harder to act dumb than it looks, and boy, is this guy dumb as a rock!  Mr. Scheffenacker's timing and physical comedy abilities are top notch.  Ryan C. Airey as the director has the added challenge of doing most of his performance from the audience and out of sight.  His vocal gifts are such that you don't even need to see his face to fully visualize the scowls on his face or the impatient eye rolls or the slow burns to calm down.  When he is finally onstage, he is as adept at the physical as he is with the vocal. 

Kelly Lyons, as the actress bent on smoothing everyone's ruffled feathers, does a fantastic job of being both the calm at the center of the storm and just as funny as everyone else.  She is also saddled with probably the most key prop usage and does excellent work with them as well.  Drew Hahn as the impatient actor/company lothario is a stitch as he tries to suck up to the director while simultaneously criticizing him.  Mr. Hahn's hand gestures are superb, often filling in the blanks where words fail him, and at one point his physical comedy skills are revealed to be equally well done. 

So, as I said from the outset, you can not get much better than this fine production at Towson University.  Your money goes to a great cause (the Theatre Arts Department), and you are certainly seeing some of the stage's stars of tomorrow.

PHOTOS: By Erik Gazillo, courtesy of Towson University.  TOP to BOTTOM:  Ryan C. Aiery, Emily McKinley Hill and Christopher Kinslow; Jonathan Scheffenacker.