'Noises Off' provides comic relief

The University Theater opens its final season in its current location with a wonderful production of "Noises Off," directed by Murray McGibbon. In the wake of national tragedy, McGibbon delivers a classic sex farce that will surely pull many Hoosiers out of the doldrums. \n"Noises Off" has long been a staple production of high schools, colleges and repertory theaters, and it's not hard to understand why. As a classic sex farce, the show shines with memorable innuendos and mistaken identities that will titillate the juvenile sensibilities in all of us. \nBut what makes the show even more enjoyable is that it takes place during a performance of another farce called "Nothing On." The show's characters are actors whose lives have become the farce which they are playing.\nIt is hard to isolate what makes this current production of "Noises Off" so effective. The performances are a great place to start. As Lloyd Dallas, the director of the play within the play, graduate student Erik Anderson takes command of his role with flamboyant gusto. Lloyd is as swaggering, self-absorbed and sexually ambiguous as possible without falling into the realm of caricature. His stage managers, Tim and Poppy, played by senior Bradley M. Fletcher and freshman Tenaya Irene Hurst, convey a believable amount of the manic desperation that many stage managers might feel when faced with a doomed production.\nThen there are the actors playing the cast of the play-within-a-play "Nothing On," who have the daunting challenge of creating onstage and offstage personas for their characters. \nAll the actors do competent jobs of this, but the standout was graduate student Coryell Barlow, who instantly changes from theater diva Dotty Otley into the housekeeper Mrs. Clackett with hilarious speed. If you watch carefully in the third act, when "Nothing On" is falling to pieces, you can see Barlow change from old Mrs. Clackett to Dotty and back again as the show progressively gets worse.\nAnother notable performance comes from senior Blake Bowen as Selsdon Mowbray, who plays the old burglar in the play-within-the-play. This lovable old drunk is a constant source of humor and Bowen plays him well. When parts of the show become too tense and dramatic, Selsdon will deliver a one-liner that brings the show back down to earth where it belongs and gets the audience chuckling again. \nThere is one other major player that must be perfectly portrayed for "Noises Off" to be a success. That player is the set. "Noises Off" takes place in two locations. In the first and third acts, the action takes place in a 1970s British country house, which is actually the set of the play "Nothing On." \nThen in the second act, the set is turned around to reveal the backstage area of "Nothing On" during a performance. With eight doors, a window, and a staircase leading up to a second floor hallway, the set becomes a frequent source of comedy for the actors and a daunting task for the scenic designer, graduate student Namok Bae. But Bae's set has a cartoonish flair which adds to the fun of the production.\nThe show's second act is a fine example of choreographed chaos. The backstage drama during "Nothing On" creates a farcical ballet in which shoe-laces are tied together, axes are swung about, bottles are broken over actors' heads and a cactus is shoved into the last place anyone would ever want a cactus. All this chaos requires perfect timing and coordination. My hat goes off to McGibbon and his movement coach Robert Johansen for pulling it off in a way that the audience never gets lost in the action.\nSo there you have it. "Noises Off" is one funny show that deserves to be seen by the entire IU community. Hard work and long hours obviously went into this production which flows together with a sense of ease, providing just what it is supposed to, a silly good time. \nNow more than ever, that's what people could use.