A Review
by RKB

The first thing I have to say is: I'm terribly
glad I wasn't in this show!
There are countless props (sardines, boxes,
bags, whiskey, etc) that have to make their
way on and off stage in what must appear
to be natural actions. Let me tell you,
the hardest acting is to make something
purposeful appear accidental!
It takes a strong caliber of actor to handle
this type of organized chaos, and I don't
know if I could have handled it nearly
as well as the cast of "NOISES OFF" did.
The cast members were universally good,
and I gave them a standing ovation both
nights I was there.

The show "NOISES OFF" revolves around
the cast and staff of a comedic play called
"Nothing On" as they try valiantly to master
the complex entrances and exits of their silly show.
"NOISES OFF" is broken up into three acts:
the first is the dress rehearsal of Act One
of "Nothing On" as the actors try to get
their cues and lines right as their personal lives
are shared with us the audience. Act Two occurs
before and during a live performance of "Nothing
On" Act One, but this time as seen from behind the set.
Basically we get to hear the same lines as in
Act One, but in/around/through the behind-the-scenes
action. Lastly, Act Three is another version
of "Nothing On" Act One. Watch it carefully to
see just how much it veers off from the first
time they did it!

A lot of the problems occur because the cast & crew
get their personal lives more and more
tied up during the run of the show. By Act Three
most of the actors are actively sabotaging the show
(and each other!) and those who aren't are
caught in the middle.

The hardest-working member of the cast had to have
been Jennifer McGraw as Dotty Otley.
Dotty is a has-been sit-com star known for playing batty
housekeepers. She is one of the financial backers
of the show, plus she's a little bit of a diva.
She likes attention...and younger men. She plays
Mrs. Clackett, house-keeper at the
Brents' country home. Jennifer is in the vast majority
of scenes; she also has to juggle sardines, newspapers,
and characterizations with equal talent. And that is
just the word for Jennifer: talent. She is definitely
the most talented performer working in Jay County
today.

The funniest member of the cast had to have been
Darrin Sanderson as actor Gary Lejeune
as real-estate agent Roger Tramplemain.
I say this for a couple of reasons.
First, the character of Gary was the best written in the
show. He's a, you know, not so good at always, but
meaning well when he does and putting it out there
to, well, when he has a chance to make something clear.
Given this type of role (and writing!) even the simplest
lines are funny. An actual example: "Yeah, why do I?"
Trust me; when and how Darrin delivered it, it got
a huge laugh. Secondly, funny stuff gets funnier through
Darrin's expert comedic skill and timing. And
thirdly, Darrin is not afraid to be a physical comedian!
This show required him to hop around, fall down
the stairs, get tied up in the telephone cord,
and basically have a nervous breakdown...among
other things!! Yet Darrin carried it all off
with style, made you laugh while doing it, and
made it look easy. That's pure comedic genius, people.

Runner-up for funniest would be Eric Rogers as actor
Selsdon Mowbray as The Burglar. Like Darrin's Gary,
Eric's Selsdon had some great lines and some great physical comedy;
and also like Darrin, Eric seemed to know exactly how much was
just right. Eric managed to be funny even when I didn't
understand what he was actually saying! And even though
he was the one character all the others worried about,
Selsdon never missed his cue or his mark, even in
Act Two, when he was thoroughly sloshed!

The most difficult role in the show belonged to
Jessica Daniels as Brooke Ashton,
the clueless sexpot playing Vicki, a clueless sexpot.
Jessica is so good, however, that it took me a
few moments to realize what she was doing;
playing, in effect, TWO "dumb blondes." As I watched her
I realized she was playing totally clueless as to what was
going on around her, all the while hitting her marks and saying
her lines. It's a great actress who can pretend to be bad, and
although that sounds like criticism, it's actually high praise.
As a perfect example of what I mean, in Act Three when Darrin
as Gary loses his place and looks to Jessica as Brooke to
help "rescue" him, she has no idea how to improvise.
Instead Brooke stupidly goes on with her lines,
even though they are making less and less sense in
the revised situation. Jessica plays this like a deer
in the headlights. An actress less talented
than Jessica could not have made this scene work nearly
as well; Jessica nailed it.

Oh, and I should probably remind everyone that Jessica
spends half of the show in her slip. So kudoes to her
for that, as well!

Runner-up for most difficult role would have to go to
Emmett Lee Bales as "Nothing On" director Lloyd Dallas.
From the moment he first yells at Dotty from the audience
until his last dictatorial scream, "Lights!" Lloyd is the
stereotypical control-freak Director. (Actually, he is
something a tad worse. Think #$$-!0%# or +!@}, for example.)
The problem with this is, his character veers straight
to "annoying" without ever veering over into any other
more admirable qualities. Brooke, Gary, and Dotty are
also annoying at times, but they don't rant or scream
their lines at him (or at each other...mostly).
So if the point of "Noises Off" was to make Lloyd a
thoroughly unlikeable character, then Emmett was great.
If he was supposed to be a somewhat loveable curmudgeon, I'm
afraid Emmett did his job a little TOO well.

So thank goodness for Shanna Camacho as actress
Belinda Blair as Flavia Brent.
Every time Lloyd had a temper tantrum, it was Shanna's
character who somehow managed to calm everyone's nerves.
Shanna portrayed Belinda as an actress who is into
everyone else's business and knows all the gossip.
She also happens to know all her lines and it
appears she knows everyone else's, as well. In
Act Three, when all hell breaks loose, it's a
testament to Belinda's coolness under pressure
as portrayed by Shanna that she is the one who
is able to wrap everything up (or atleast
attempt to). In a farce like this it's important
to have a "straight man," and in both "Nothing On"
and "Noises Off," that was Shanna.

Shanna's character's husband was played by newcomer
Joel Sanderson as slightly neurotic
Freddie Fellows as writer Philip Brent.
Philip is the traditional handsome
leading man of "Nothing On." In "Noises Off," however, he is
the bumbling idiot who knows his lines but doesn't
understand why his character needs to do the things
he does. For example, in Act One he wants to know
his motivation for carrying a box off the set!
He is the butt of several of Lloyd's rants.
Eventually he is the object of affection for both
Belinda and Dotty. Joel plays Freddie as a luckless
yet endearing twit, who we end up liking in spite
of ourselves. I hope we get to see more of Joel
in future JCCT productions...and no, that isn't a
joke about him losing his trousers!

The last two members of the cast were Brittney Kirtley as
Kim Allgood , the Stage Manager and Go-Fer, and
Carly Sanderson as Assistant Stage Manager
Poppy Norton-Taylor. Neither had copious
amounts of time on stage or very many lines. Yet they did
the best they could with what they had. Carly, in particular, seemed
to find herself nicely inhabiting one of those "I love theatre but
I hate the spotlight" types. She also had several "looks" during
the show, such as when Poppy finds out her boyfriend is
sleeping with Brooke, or when she nearly has to go on as
Brooke's under-study---in her underwear. Carly is an awesome
comedienne (I remember her fondly from such shows as "Oliver!") and
I wish the arrangement of Act Three would have given her more to do.
She was definitely hampered by the lack of material.
Similarly, Brittney was playing a "Jill of All Trades" who
really shined during Act Two (set behind-the-scenes, where
she and Carly had their best moments). She ran around
making announcements (usually cancelling Carly's!),
buying flowers and whiskey for Lloyd, searching for
and finding Selsdon, and preparing to go on in his place.
As is her style, Brittney was a big ball of energy, and I
was disappointed not to see more of her this time.

Besides the actors, the set was a supporting character,
too. Because it was a "boxed set," which means
all of the action takes place in and around one set
location that did not have to be moved, Director/Designer
Cain M. Bilbrey was able to take extra time and effort
to get an absolutely beautiful set built.
Of course, they ended up SWITCHING IT for Act Two and
then SWITCHING IT BACK for Act Three, which
makes it all the more impressive.
Please note that there is a page of photos dedicated
to the set itself. Please follow the link below.

Overall, "Noises Off" was hilarious.
The only criticism I would level at it was that
perhaps it was a tad TOO fast.
I know that in a show like this, when one door
slams shut another door has to open immediately;
timing is everything. I'm not suggesting that
the pace of the show needed to be slowed down.
I'm merely saying that several times characters
seemed to step on each others' lines in a
rush to get them out. It seemed like there
were plenty of funny lines in the script, but
because they were being said so quickly
the audience couldn't take the time to laugh at them.
I think I would have laughed *more* if I
had been given time to hear more of
the humor in the lines, and not just from
the situations.
Remember, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

Be that as it may, "Noises Off" was another example
of great live theatre. Great job, everyone!

Now I'm definitely looking forward to the next
Jay County Civic Theatre comedy.
May I (dare) suggest: Arsenic and Old Lace?

Noises Off

Character Photos

Cast & Crew Portraits

Posed Photos 1

Posed Photos 2

Posed Photos 3

Posed Photos 4

Set Photos

Act One "Live" Photos

Act Two "Live" Photos

Act Three "Live" Photos

Comments and suggestions
should be sent to
Russell Burbage