| "That's Farce. That's Theatre. That's Life." | | Print | |
| Written by Mike Diana | |
| Saturday, 16 September 2006 | |
 Folks, British farce ain't for everybody. Frantic antics and door slamming can go from unbridled hilliarity to excessively unfunny in short order, rendering an audience bewildered and a cast gasping for breath. Regent University Theatre's production of Michael Frayn's popular farce Noises Off revels in excess. Doors are opened and closed and sardines are shuffled off and on, but the work to make it work was so obvious it got in the way of the laughter.
Laughter is a living, breathing creature. It must be nourished and fed. It requires perfectly timed stimulation, constant care and attention if it is to flourish and reproduce with vigor. Some stage directors fear the beast and shy away from it. Others fight back their fear climbing into the ring script and blocking plot at the ready. Curtain up! Add a pratfall here...drop pants there and, if all else fails, a pie in the face (or sardines poured over a head and stuffed down a shirt) might do the trick! Of course, there is no guarantee of success. Noises Off takes the "show within a show" theme a step further. Michael Frayn wrote a first act in which we meet a dysfunctional cast of characters stumbling through a tech rehearsal that is actually the final dress for 'Nothing On' - due to open that evening. It is the wee hours of the morning and they have yet to make it through act one. We are treated to a reasonable run of the "script" and become privvy to the personal foibles of the director, actors and crew. The setup is complete.
Frayn's twist is a voyeuristic turn of the set for act two that enables the audience to see the result of too little rehearsal and too much libido from the back side. As 'Nothing On' is presented upstage, a highly charged pantomime (they can't talk...there's a show going on!) takes place, embroiling the entire cast in a jealousy fueled, backstage, slapstick ballet fraught with enough schtick to make a Minsky blush. Whereas in act two they were at least trying to "keep it together" for the sake of the show, in act three the wheels hilariously come off the cart. Or at least they did until the end. The version of Noises Off presented by Regent appears to be Michael Frayn's 2002 update of the original 1982 Lyric Theatre production. He should have left well enough alone. By removing certain plot elements (such as an explaination of Dotty's (HEIDI NEMECZ) desperation to make 'Nothing On' a success or why Dallas (CHRISTOPHER RYAN) agreed to direct) and tacking on an insipid if not unintelligible ending, Frayn needed to leave his farce alone and stay in Copenhagen!
The pantomime that is at the core of act two deconstructed to a frenetic Chinese fire drill. The cast's occasional misdemeanor mugging of the audience eventually graduated to felonious assault. Focus was lost amongst the hyjinks leading to several scripted bits going unnoticed. There was too much "acting" going on. The play succeeds, in part, due to the audience believing in the 'actors' most ernest endeavors to mount the farce "Nothing On" and coming to recognize and appreciate their foibles and idiosyncrasies. It was as difficult for me to buy into the exhaustion of director, cast and crew as it was to care. Christopher Ryan's characterization of Lloyd Dallas made me wonder why one woman much less two would be interested in him! As played by Ryan, Lloyd's sarcasm appeared to come from his being a prissy, poncy, flaming arse. It was all I could do not to stick my foot in the aisle as he meandered about with microphone in hand. A good audience reaction for a villain in a melodrama, but way off the mark here. Dallas' first words come from the house as Dotty can't remember her lines or blocking. We should see him as frazzled, bone weary, sarcastic and popping valium like candy in order to survive as he repeatedly feeds Dotty blocking and Freddy (MICHAEL WOODS) his motivation. You can't help but feel for that guy! Sorry, it didn't work for me. What was Michael Frayn thinking when he rewrote the ending of the play? We sat in the audience looking at each other. It wasn't funny. We didn't get it. It killed the gales of laughter that came after Gary (ADAM EUGENE) stumbled down the stairs taking out most of the railing as he went. Belinda attempts to pull it all together and then... the gibberish. The curtain hangs up and the cast rushes to help pull it down only to rip the bottom off it. What happened to the last line? "When all around is strife and uncertainty, there's nothing like...a good old fashion plate of curtain!" Did I miss it in all the falderall?
Judy Holland-Geary's costume choices appeared to be off the rack. The only shining wardrobe moment was when Tim came out in front of the curtain for his act three announcements sporting a tux with matching tool belt. As they say, accessories make the man. Brooke (MIRANDA WALLACE) is supposed to be running around in her underwear for most of the show. Dotty even says "...there she stands in her smalls for all the world to see." A merry widow, a couple of pair of briefs stitched together and high leg stockings reveal less skin than any bathing suit. The cami/slip and stockings lacked imagination. Regent University has a wonderful venue in which to perform and any institution that endeavors to provide the world with well trained, talented artists has a place in my heart. I am a true believer in the value of comedy. In a world where there is so little good news making headlines we could all benefit from a good, deep belly laugh or two from time to time.
Noises Off is the 2006-2007 season opener for the Regent University Theatre |
Director MICHAEL KIRKLAND tackled the script with the finesse of a bull in a china shop. 