Chaos, hilarity, and roaring laughter ensues in the Barnstormers production of Noises Off, a comedy by Michael Frayn. A show within a show, Noises Off is the story of a play gone wrong and the actors and director stuck in the middle trying to save this sinking ship.
Even before Noises Off officially begins, the audience is immersed in the world of the production. Llyod (Ramanujan Srinath), director of Nothing On (the play within the play) is nervously pacing up and down the aisles of seats, mumbling incoherently to the attendees, shaking his head, and gesturing toward the stage. This immediately indicates that there is something wrong in the upcoming tale, leaving the audience wanting more information.
Once the lights go down, it is showtime, and Llyod is seated in the back row watching his actors rehearse Nothing On the day before opening night. One character, Mrs. Clackett, who is played by the fictional Dotty (Kathleen Lewis) can never seem to get her scene right. Running around in a velour tracksuit and slippers, Mrs. Clackett never knows when to hang up the telephone receiver or whether or not to take a plate of sardines with her when she exits the stage. Her scatterbrained nature as an actress is hilarious to the audience, but perpetually frustrating to the panic-stricken Lloyd.
The other actors in Nothing On have no idea of what is going on either. For instance, Brooke (Haley Veldt), who plays Vicki, is clueless, as is Selsdon (Zachary King), who plays a not-very-effective burglar. The actors’ mutual panic swells, as the reality of opening night looms, and no one has a clue of what they are supposed to do.
As if the actors of Nothing On were not enough of a cause of panic for Lloyd, so are the technical problems steadily mounting. Where at one point, doors refuse to close, at other points, handles are breaking off the doors! Tim (Eric Lorentz), the handyman, turns out not to be so very handy, and the intern, Poppy (Rebecca Van Voorhees), is so stressed out that she barely registers any directions thrown at her.
Underscoring the cluelessness of all people involved in the fictional play, everyone is running around, shouting, shrieking, and slamming doors. The pure insanity that comes to a head coaxes huge roars of laughter from the audience, some crouched in their seats crying due to the overwhelming comedy of the scene.
The second act does not bode much better for the Nothing On cast and crew on opening night. The same chaos in the first act plagues the second one. Dotty seems to be sick while Freddie (Daniel Weissglass) is crying and getting endless nosebleeds, unable to play his character of Phillip. Selsdon even steals some alcohol backstage! It is especially hilarious when Tim and Poppy fail to communicate and make the same loud speaker announcements to the audience within seconds of each other. The insanity does not stop there. Once the curtain goes up, all hell breaks loose, and the final product of Nothing On is nothing short of train wreck.
The second act is viewed from the perspective of backstage, or rather the opposite side of the set from the first act. The audience sees the cast and crew nearly sprinting all over backstage, across the floor, up and down stairs, and in and out of barely functioning doorways. What makes this series of scenes painfully hilarious is the rapid-fire communication conducted with no audible speech. In a desperate desire to preserve the few remaining relics of dignity the play has left, the actors are resort to whatever means necessary to pull it off. Sometimes, things get out of control, and a pseudo-swordfight breaks out, and Brooke cannot find her costume! Interestingly, these constant efforts to make the play perfect end up making it so much worse…and painfully funny.
Aside from the immense talent of all of the actors in Noises Off, the most interesting element was the set. Publicity Manager Grace Mumby explains that making it was no simple feat.
“The two level, rotating set is one of the most challenging technical endeavors the Barnstormers have attempted since the group's inception in 1919.”
It is not surprising that the set was a complicated project to complete. Perched on top of wheels, its more polished front side faced the audience during the first act, but for the remainder of the production, the raw, backside portraying backstage faced the audience. It must have required a lot of manpower not only construct such a detailed, realistic, and complex set, but also to literally flip it over in one piece.
Overall, as demonstrated by the endless laughter, the audience received the play extremely well.
“I laughed so hard I cried. Really. And multiple times, too,” said junior math major Sophia Geron-Neubauer.
Mumby explains that the Barnstormers worked very hard over the last few months to put together a truly unforgettable comedy to be appreciated by the entire Hopkins student body.
“The all-student cast and crew and professional director have created a hilarious theatrical experience not to be missed.”
Noises Off is playing next on Nov. 8 and 9 at eight o’clock p.m. and Nov. 10 and three o’clock p.m. Visit http://www.thejhubarnstormers.org/reserve-tickets.html to reserve tickets in advance.
