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| Luisa Sermol (left) is Dotty, Max Tachis is Garry and Michelle Skinner is Brooke. (Mark and Tracy Photography) |
This farce is set in England, where a third-rate
theatrical troupe is rehearsing and then staging the world premiere of “Nothing
On.”
As the action begins, Lloyd (David Crane), the
director of “Nothing On,” is trying to get Dotty (Luisa Sermol), housekeeper
for a country home, to go through a scene answering the phone and returning to
the kitchen. She forgets the receiver, the sardines (which figure prominently
in the play) and the newspaper.
Subsequent scenes involve the arrival of Garry (Max
Tachis) and Brooke (Michelle Skinner), who are there for an affair. As they
tour the house, its owners, played by Ross Neuenfeldt and Heather Orth, return unexpectedly.
Also involved in the action are the stage manager, Tim
(David Blackburn); assistant stage manager, Poppy (Brigitte Losey); and another
actor, the drunken Selsdon (Lawrence-Michael Arias).
During this act, most of the actual actors try too
hard, blunting much of the humor.
In Act 2, after the set has rotated to back stage of
“Nothing On,” the actors refine their timing, resulting in some frantically funny
moments. By this time in the troupe’s tour, it’s a month after the rehearsal,
and nerves are frayed.
Finally, in Act 3, after the set has rotated again
to become the set for “Nothing On,” everything has unraveled. Nothing goes
right, in part because of sabotage by some jealous actors, resulting in more
laughs.
Directed by Jeffrey Lo, most of the actors do well,
especially in the latter two acts. Sermol’s Dotty is aptly named, while
Skinner’s Brooke is blithely dense. So too is Neunenfeldt as one of the home’s
owners.
Orth as the other owner is the one who tries to keep
everyone under control. Tachis is amazingly athletic as his Garry becomes the
victim of most of the sabotage.
Losey and Blackburn as the harried stage managers also
do well.
Christopher Fitzer’s two-level set not only rotates
but also features multiple doors – a must for farce with its split-second exits
and entrances.
The character-specific costumes are by Mae
Heagerty-Matos with lighting by Meghan Souther and sound by Jon Covey.
Running about two and a half hours with one
intermission and a pause, “Noises Off” will continue through Oct. 28 at
Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.
