No quiet entrance for ‘Noises Off’

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During the theater department’s production of Noises Off, the Ragan Theater was filled with excessively loud laughter from the audience.

The plot of the play, which ran from Oct. 21-30, centers around the idea of a play within a play, where critical director Lloyd Fellowes (Joshua Larsen) struggles to get his bumbling band of actors to perform their own farce. Each character’s unique personality and role makes the mishaps that occur even more hilarious at every door slam. As the play moves, it quickly becomes Days of Our Lives meets The Three Stooges.

Much of the second act features key items that a lot of the mayhem that happens hinges on. One example is that of the whiskey bottle, originally intended for Brooke (Kaitlyn Lamb), that makes it around to the entire cast with the exception of Selsdon (Andrew Hansen), who consequently wants it the most. Others include an axe, various bouquets of flowers and some infamous plates of sardines.

Along with that, the set itself played an interesting part in the play as it was spun around for the second act, revealing the ensuing blunders going on backstage.

Much of the second act features key items that a lot of the mayhem hinges on. One example is that of the whiskey bottle, originally intended for Brooke (Kaitlyn Lamb), that makes it around to the entire cast with the exception of Selsdon (Andrew Hansen), who consequently wants it the most. Others include an axe, various bouquets of flowers and some infamous plates of sardines.

Also, the set itself played an interesting part as it was spun around for the second act, revealing the ensuing blunders going on backstage.

The acting in this play was quite impressive. In fact, it was so well done it gave me the impression of watching a movie version. Something quite unique about this particular play is the fact that all the parts are major roles and are equally entertaining and important.

In addition, part of the action took place within the audience. For instance, near the beginning, Fellowes rises from his seat in the audience and walks down to the stage to heckle his actors. A little later on, there is a brief distraction with Selsdon rising to his feet in the upper balcony area, where he was taking a short nap.

As a whole, much, if not all, of this is overshadowed by the collisions of relationships within the cast. Whether it’s during acts one, two or three, one actor is catching another with his girl or her man, doing something completely obscene. Trousers dropping here, skirt coming off there, it all adds up to a big heaping mess of broken hearts.

Nonetheless, these sad events were intended for enjoyment, and thanks to the talented theatre department, it turned out to be the funniest live performance I’ve seen all year.