Noises Off When did you last laugh so hard you cried?

As part of Prince Charming's Humanities class he is required to see a play or performance of some sort. It is not allowed to be a major production (i.e. Wicked) and that really annoyed me (I really wanted to see Wicked. LOL.)

Prince Charming had picked out the play and had assured me that I should like it. I didn't exactly doubt him, but we tend to have different tastes occasionally and I was just a bit worried. I did give him the benefit of the doubt though as the last play we saw (my choice) left much to desire.

Noises Off was performed by the Performing Arts Center at Dominican University, and I have to say that they did an amazing and fantastic job. It has been a very long time since anything made me laugh so hard that I cried and they made me do just that!

Here is a summary of the play:

One day, British playwright Michael Frayn was standing in the wings watching a farce he had written when he realized that the tumult and tangle behind the scenes was funnier than the show the audience paid for. Inspired, he created Noises Off, an irresistible and loving look at the follies of theatre folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. The play captures a touring production of the comedy-within-a-comedy Nothing On at three crucial moments: from the rehearsal hall, on the road—and from behind the set—shortly after opening, and from the audience’s point of view just before the end of the run. The slamming doors, slipping trousers, mistaken identities and flubbed lines are even more hysterical when you realize how much control it requires to do things wrong, perfectly wrong.

With a cast of only nine the performance was fast paced, quick witted and timed perfectly. I was simply amazed in Act II as the performers not only put on the stage play Nothing On while also putting on an absolutely hilarious performance of Noises Off behind the stage. As an audience member it was so fast paced and multi-faceted that at times you weren't sure where to look or what to listen too, something that proved to be an enjoyable part of the experience. It showed excellent talent on the part of the cast to pull off such a multi-tasking performance.

My only regret was that we attended the Saturday evening performance and as Sunday's performance was the last one we were unable to spread the word and recommend others to attend. I know that I will be keeping my eye out for other performances through this school and hopefully this review will also make those of you who live nearby do the same. (and for the record, they did such a great job I didn't even mind not seeing Wicked! lol. ) For those of you who don't live around here? Look up local community art centers, colleges and even high schools for their performance schedule. Tickets are usually under $20 each and this can provide a fun filled, low cost and extremely memorable night out!

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Noises Off was made into a movie in 1992. I haven't seen it, and truly doubt it can compare with the great performance we saw (Yes, I am bias when it comes to plays over television. LOL), but I still would recommend renting it as the play itself was well written and hilarious.