Wheaton Drama's fast-paced 'Noises Off' aims for quick laughs
Susan Carr finds herself wearing high heels and climbing a ladder while carrying an ax in "Noises Off" - and she's not even one of the funny characters.
The British farce opens Friday, Jan. 29, at Wheaton Drama's Playhouse 111 in downtown Wheaton, and if you're searching for a serious and stuffy night at the theater, maybe you better look elsewhere.
"I'm kind of the straight man of the group," said Carr, a Winfield resident who plays Belinda Blair.
Carr doesn't appear in various stages of undress and her character's not the one stashing booze bottles on the set, but she is one of nine who keeps the show racing along from one unlikely situation to the next.
"The situations are so bizarre that it's probably the most fun I've ever had directing," said Director James A. Liesz of Glen Ellyn, who has been with Wheaton Drama for 29 years.
It's the company's second run of "Noises Off," which it first performed in 1999 when Liesz also was the director.
Five of the actors participated in the original production 11 years ago, including Carr.
Considered a show within a show, "Noises Off" follows a group of actors preparing to put on a farce called "Nothing On."
"You have to almost do two characters at once: the character of the actor and the character of the actor within the play," Carr said.
The show takes place in an English manor home with a uniquely rotating set. The first act depicts the cast of "Nothing On" preparing until the last minute for opening night.
During intermission before the second act, the set is rotated and the audience now sees a view from backstage.
Then, before Act III, another intermission takes place and the set is rotated again to change the view to the front again, where the actors of "Nothing On" let their personal problems destroy the production.
Relationships evolve from scene to scene as opening night of "Nothing On" comes and goes.
"It's the relationships of these people that move the story along," Liesz said.
The pace of the play keeps cast members constantly moving and audience members trying to keep up, Liesz said.
"It's fast-paced. It's door slamming. You don't know where to look," he said. "Everything is pandemonium."
Audience members have been known to see the show more than once to view a different angle on the stage, he said.
"You can't catch everything that is happening," Liesz said. "They're afraid that they missed something."
Audience members don't need a deep love of the theater or any background knowledge.
"There's no message here," Liesz said. "There's no pathos. There's no ethos. They're not going to walk out tugging at their heartstrings. It's for people who are looking for a good time."
"Noises Off" runs weekends through Feb. 21 at Wheaton Drama's Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale St.
Tickets are $16 for weekend shows, $13 on Thursdays. For details, call (630) 260-1820 or visit wheatondrama.org.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>f you go </b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">What: Wheaton Drama's "Noises Off"</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">When: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 29 through Feb. 21</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Where: Wheaton Drama's Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale St., Wheaton </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Cost: $13 on Thursdays, $16 for other days </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Info: (630) 260-1820 or wheatondrama.org</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>'Noises Off' cast </b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Dotty Otley: Annie Walker-Bright</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Selsdon Mowbray: Dennis Brown</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Belinda Blair: Susan Carr</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Lloyd Dallas: Geoffrey Maher</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Tim Allgood: Patrick Naugle</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Frederick Fellowes: Douglas Orlyk</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Poppy Norton-Taylor: Elizabeth Owsley</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Brooke Ashton: Leah Rae</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Garry Lejeune: Christopher Williams </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Director: Jim Liesz</p>