Michael Frayn’s comedy “Noises Off” is the most difficult play in the English canon, director Murray McGibbon said.
The play requires mathematical precision, he said.
“When you read that script, you want to jump off a building,” McGibbon said. “What is difficult must become a habit.”
IU Theatre’s production of “Noises Off,” which will open Friday, is a play within a play about a group of actors who are putting on a show titled “Nothing On.”
It features an ensemble of nine cast members.
The play is split into three acts. The first act is the rehearsal, the second is the play seen from backstage and the third is the performance.
“Noises Off” is not a conventional play, McGibbon said.
“It’s a farce,” McGibbon said. “Everything that could conceivably go wrong, goes wrong.”
The play was designed for professional actors, but these students had to learn it within months, McGibbon said. It requires energy and mental acuity.
The cast and production team broke the play into smaller pieces to make it more manageable, McGibbon said.
“They have to learn how to crawl, then to walk, then to fly,” he said.
“Noises Off” is filled with slamming doors, mistaken identities, dropped pants and costume changes, cast member and second-year master of fine arts student Matthew Murry said. Unexpected situations in the play knock the audience members off their feet.
“The characters are caught in moments where they are confused or scared,” Murry said. “They are moments they didn’t expect to be in and where we find a lot of comedy.”
He plays Garry Lejeune, who is the quintessential ego-driven actor, Murry said.
The characters in “Noises Off” repeat their performance in different ways throughout the play, Murry said, but their lines change, things go wrong and they have to adapt.
“We get to see all sides of this story to understand the characters,” he said.
The show is like a puzzle where each piece has to be measured and precise. Comedic timing is one of these puzzle pieces, he said.
Each role in “Noises Off” is important, he said.
“No one person leads the show,” Murry said. “We all work together.”
Freshman Caleb Curtis plays the character Frederick Fellows in the show.
His character is a lovable, innocent person who wants to take care of everyone, he said.
One of the most challenging parts of the show is keeping up stamina throughout, Curtis said, because it is a fast-paced show that requires running up and down stairs and carrying props.
They will finish an act in what seems like a blink of the eye, Curtis said.
Because it is such a physically demanding show, the cast must give 100 percent focus and energy, Murry said.
“It requires that heightened sense of energy and that heightened sense of presence,” Murry said. “It can be draining.”
“Noises Off” is not life-changing, and it will not offer any important lessons, but it will be a fun ride, Curtis said.
“We just want the audience to laugh,” he said. “I’m looking forward to entertaining people and making sure they have a good time.”
Although putting together “Noises Off” is challenging, McGibbon said he has enjoyed it tremendously.
“Seeing all different parts come together — with the many gears and wheels where the smallest wheel sometimes turns the biggest — has been rewarding,” McGibbon said.
