Michael Frayn’s hilarious farce Noises Off will kick off Church Hill Theatre’s fall season with performances from September 11 to 27. Shelagh Grasso directs this play-within-a-play (the sexy British romp Nothing On) that will show CHT audiences what really goes on back-stage. Noises Off ran for five years on London’s West End, played over 500 performances on Broadway, and is one of the most successful comedies of all time.
Grasso has assembled a remarkable cast that includes many Church Hill Theatre veterans. The set, designed and built by Carmen Grasso, shows both the front and the back of the Nothing On stage and is an integral part of the high jinks, which include slammed doors, thwarted romances, lost trousers and a young woman running about in her underwear.
The Noises Off characters include the director, his stage crew and an assortment of has-been and wanna-be actors. The Nothing On characters portray the residents of a stately British country home and their unexpected visitors. The versatile Church Hill Theatre cast moves deftly (if not always gracefully) between the two sets and the two realities.
Will Robinson plays Lloyd Dallas, the temperamental director of Nothing On. He is assisted by Stage Manager Tim Allgood, played by John Haas, and an Assistant Stage Manager, the emotional Poppy Norton-Taylor, played by Christine Kinlock. Allgood and Norton-Taylor also understudy roles in Nothing On. The Nothing On cast includes Mrs. Clackett, the forgetful older actress Dotty Otley (played by Maggie Garey); Roger, a shady real estate agent portrayed by the stuttering actor Garry Lejeune (played by Ricky Vitanovic ); the headstrong ingénue Vicki, the actress Brooke Ashton (played by Heather Oland); the home owner Philip Brent, the dim and pompous actor Freddy Fellowes (played by Patrick J. Fee); Flavia Brent, the reliable actress Belinda Blair (played by Jane Copple); an elderly burglar, the tipsy actor Selsdon Mowbray (played by Pat Patterson); and a mysterious sheikh interested in renting the house (played by Freddy/ Fee.).
Noises Off runs from September 11-27, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and on Sundays at 2 pm. CHT offers special 2 for the price of 1 tickets on opening night, Friday, September 11 for those who reserve by phone. Call the box office at 410-556-6003 or visit the website www.churchhilltheatre.org for details and reservations.
Front image: From L-R Brooke (Heather Oland), Gary (Ricky Vitanovic), Poppy (Christine Kinlock), Mrs. Clackett (Maggie Garey), Belinda (Jane Copple) and Frederick (Patrick Fee). “Everyone lift their feet one foot at a time”.
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