Noises Off
You can say this about Michael Frayn’s Noises Off: No matter how many times his play gets produced locally — and it’s been pretty often in Nashville over the past decade — there is always the promise of a tremendously successful night at the theater and entertainment for all, even for those repeat audiences who’ve seen it all before.
Such is the case at Nashville Rep, where a splendid company, guided by the precise staging of René Copeland, scores another definite success with the silly farce, which stands as a fully engaging exercise in high energy, well-honed timing, a few fairly brutal pratfalls and delightful character work that sustains a great deal of side-splitting nonsense over three rather epic acts.
The setup cashes in on the automatic intrigue of insider theater life, as a traveling company of British thespians performs a ridiculous comedy called Nothing On. We track the players’ on- and offstage antics from the disastrous dress rehearsal to two other performances (of the first act only) on their road tour, as they struggle to find their stride under the haranguing lordship of a very intense director, and then later present the play while their interpersonal relationships are disintegrating with every passing scene. The quality of the production-within-a-production goes downhill fairly predictably, but hilariously so, with many unplanned madcap moments evoking big laughs, as Nothing On eventually becomes pitted by injured, limping performers and technical mishaps.
Copeland probably would never embark on such an undertaking without assembling with assuredness the kind of cast that can pull off all the requisite tomfoolery, not to mention do it with satisfactorily convincing (and well-appreciated) British accents. Hence, a veritable all-star cast of Music City talent goes at the proceedings, led by the indefatigable Martha Wilkinson, reprising the role of Dotty, which she performed for the Rep in 2005. Also returning from that prior production but now in a different role is Jenny Littleton, her sharp professionalism welcome as always. Recent Belmont University grad Morgan Davis makes her Rep debut in the role of airheaded actress Brooke Ashton, and she’s more than sufficient to the task.
As for the major men, Jacob York and Steven Kraski do commanding work, including a great deal of physical comedy, both bounding up and tumbling down a flight of stairs, while popular local vet Brian Webb Russell is marvelous as the aging, forgetful, besotted old actor Selsdon Mowbray. Eric D. Pasto-Crosby earns special mention as director Lloyd Dallas, his anguished carping at his cast — and understandable frustration — a constant source of withering wit and amusement. Cori Anne Laemmel and Chase Miller round out the cast in key supporting roles.
As is always the case with Noises Off, the set designer plays a critical role, and Gary Hoff’s large, well-constructed country home proves sturdy and well-appointed. It also rotates with the assistance of stagehands to give the audience a backstage view of the play in the critical second act, when a lot of actorly hostility is afoot. Trish Clark provides the natty costumes and Michael Barnett the solid lighting design.
With plenty of well-timed bits, cheesy (and funny) sound effects, silly but well-choreographed slapstick — including flying trays of sardines — and the kind of door-slamming insanity that would make the classic French farceur Molière proud, this production is an across-the-board people-pleaser that should bring good-sized and satisfied audiences into Johnson Theater.
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