Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The Willows Theatre in Concord continues its 30th anniversary season with a show that the company?s patrons voted as their favorite comedy of all time: Michael Frayn?s Noises Off. It?s no wonder the play is such a hit with ticket holders. Noises Off is a gut-bustingly hilarious farce within a farce.

The play follows a company of mediocre performers as they rehearse and perform a British comedy entitled Nothing On. Director Lloyd Dallas (Julian L?pez-Morillas) has his hands full with a washed-up star (Sue Trigg), a ditzy ing?nue (Brittany Ogle), a pair of not-terribly-bright leading men (Cassidy Brown and Simon Vance), a busy-body (Holli Hornlien), and an alcoholic character actor (Chris Ayles). With this motley crew, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. Nothing On careens ever-closer to catastrophe, both on-stage and off, finally culminating in a side-splittingly disastrous closing night.

The entire cast (the real one) is extremely strong, demonstrating command of British dialects and comic timing. Trigg as Dotty Otley is particularly adept at flipping between accents as she skillfully shifts between onstage housekeeper and offstage man-eating diva. Ayles is an absolute delight as the doddering Selsdon who always has one eye on the whiskey bottle, and L?pez-Morillas is suitably snide as the exasperated director. Then there are the dueling dolts: Brown?s pompous yet tongue-tied Garry is an entertaining counterpoint to Vance?s endearing Freddy. Katie Anderson and John Butterfield start off as solid ?straight men? portraying the much-put-upon technicians for Nothing On, but they make good use of their opportunities to shine as they, too, get caught up in the hysteria. Hornlein has presence as the gossip Belinda, and Ogle embodies the stereotypical casting-couch actress, Brooke to perfection.

Director Richard Elliott assembled this tremendous cast and does a fine job with capturing the necessary pacing and physical humor. The first act has some funny moments that get lost due to the accelerated tempo and thick accents, but it picks up steam before the first intermission. Elliott skillfully orchestrates the behind-the-scenes antics of the second act, and by the end of the third, his audience is panting from laughing so hard. The set by Tom Benson is a major technical feat and adds to the wit of the show (look for a unique mounted animal head and the same dreadful, floral-patterned fabric on everything from lamp shades to doors). However, the transitions at each intermission and the alternately covered/uncovered window break the illusion at times. Chris Chesnut?s lighting is adept, and his sound design choices for pre-show and intermission are charming. While the costumes as designed by Melissa Torchia fit the bill, it?s Shaun Carroll?s props (including countless plates of sardines) that occasionally steal the show.

The ending is missing a terrific sight gag and the show begins a trifle slowly, but if there were any more laughs, the audience would be exhausted. For a riotous good time, catch Noises Off playing through May 7 at The Willows Theatre, Concord. Visit www.willowstheatre.org or call 925-798-1300 for more information.