Ferociously funny: Comic mayhem is marvelously managed in Steppenwolf’s ‘Noises Off’

“Noises Off” — 4 stars

You know you’ve seen a first-class production of “Noises Off,” Michael Frayn’s masterful farce-within-a-farce, if at its conclusion your cheeks ache.

From smiling.

Steppenwolf Theatre’s revival of this artfully constructed backstage comedy is one such production. That was confirmed by the audience’s riotous response opening night to the marvelous mayhem unfolding on Steppenwolf’s stage courtesy of director Anna D. Shapiro and her exceptional cast.

For years, Shapiro pitched the comedy to Steppenwolf’s late artistic director Martha Lavey. And every year Lavey turned her down saying Frayn’s 1982 comedy was too lowbrow, according to Shapiro. Citing the expense of producing a play with a nine-member cast and an expansive set, Shapiro decided not to stage “Noises Off” during her six years as artistic director. However, her successors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis — who took over as co-artistic directors three years ago — shared her affection for the play and selected it to launch the theater’s 49th season.

At a time when most of us can use a good laugh, the timing is right for “Noises Off,” a play that celebrates the very form it satirizes.

Fast, furious and ferociously funny, it’s about a second-rate 1970s theater troupe touring England’s hinterlands in a third-rate sex farce titled “Nothing On,” whose negligible plot centers on sardines, sheets and slamming doors, according to director Lloyd Dallas (Rick Holmes).

“Getting the sardines on — getting the sardines off. That’s farce. That’s the theater. That’s life,” Lloyd informs his lovably inept cast during a final late-night dress rehearsal. Taking place the day before the show opens, it’s a rehearsal marked by bungled dialogue, missed cues, misplaced props and a faulty set constructed by sleep-deprived crew member (and unwilling understudy) Tim (Max Stewart).

The tour is bankrolled by former TV star Dotty (a sly Ora Jones, whose side-eye is unrivaled). Sharper and more manipulative than her name or demeanor suggests, Dotty has an eye for younger male co-stars. Her latest conquest is the enthusiastically inarticulate Garry (the breathtakingly funny, intensely physical Andrew Leeds). They’re joined by the troupe’s de facto den mother Belinda (Audrey Francis’ affectations are delicious), whose acting consists almost exclusively of poses; insecure, newly single leading man Frederick (played with self-deprecating goofiness by the statesmanlike James Vincent Meredith) and the oft-inebriated character actor Selsdon (Francis Guinan, understated, endearing and oh so funny).

Guiding cast and crew through a theatrical minefield is beleaguered director Lloyd (Rick Holmes), who is romancing neophyte ingenue Brook (Amanda Fink) and Poppy Norton-Taylor, the able albeit frazzled stage manager played by Vaneh Assadourian.

Act II takes place a month later. Tempers flare as jealousies and misunderstandings surface and romantic relationships unravel. By Act III, pandemonium reigns.

And what hilarious pandemonium it is.

Produced in cooperation with Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Shapiro’s revival is meticulously timed and magnificently acted by an ensemble that conveys with honesty and affection the characters’ egos and eccentricities as well as their devotion to their art. All of which is evidenced by their willingness to put aside grievances and work together to bring down the curtain on the disastrous performance that comprises Act III.

Shapiro deftly manages the play’s sustained, comedic crescendo, which concludes with a finale of beautifully choreographed chaos. She also ensures every member of the cast has an opportunity to earn a belly laugh. Often more than one, in fact, notably Leeds, who stops the show with his impressive tumble down a staircase.

The staircase along with a half dozen doors dominates set designer Todd Rosenthal’s fine two-story, Tudor-style country home, which earned a well-deserved round of applause as it rotated 180 degrees at the top of Act II. A rotary phone and a black-and-white TV contribute to the vintage feel, as do Izumi Inaba’s snazzy 1970s costumes, which include candy-colored frocks for the women and tweedy jackets and ascots for the men.

One of the funniest, most ingenious farces ever written, “Noises Off” is also a love letter to the theater, and to the artists who — even when everything falls apart — still work together to ensure the show goes on.

Lastly, “Noises Off” is also something of a life lesson reminding us to learn our lines, listen for our cues and muddle through the best we can. Together.

And if we manage to go through it laughing, so much the better.

• • •

Location: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 335-1650, steppenwolf.org

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 3. No 7:30 p.m. performances Oct. 1, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 22. Also 2 p.m. Oct. 16 and Nov. 2 and 3

Running time: About 2 hours, 35 minutes with two intermissions

Tickets: $20-$148

Rating: For adults, contains adult language, mature themes, sexual references