reviews - NOISES OFF - Theater Works

the cast of Noises Off
photo: Moran Imaging

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 23rd.

"...As originally written in 1982, Noises Off was and remains, hands down, the funniest show ever written.... a true theatre-lovers farce. ...A small, motley crew of average to middling actors are about to drop their trousers, peel their clothes and take the Ray Cooney/Brian Rix inspired sex comedy on the road, touring small towns for just a few months, and everyone is woefully unprepared....there’s no depth to the individual characters, and none are needed; it’s all about the art of and having fun with farce, as seen from different angles....By the end, it’s not just the performers who are exhausted; if the production is what it should be, even the audience may need a rest....The play requires non-stop, split-second timing that even seasoned professionals find difficult....The Theater Works players are certainly game, and the individual performers – all nine of them – are nicely cast, each one looking and sounding their character type, even if the British accents fall in out and out of place from time to time, but the discipline of speed and movement required during the more hectic moments are not always as precise as they need to be, occasionally resulting with a jarring hiccup that feels as though someone is putting the brakes on, realizing it, then gearing back up. ...Yet, what the production sometimes lacks in sharp precision is more than compensated in big laughs...." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)

"...Michael Frayn's classic backstage comedy Noises Off ...Theater Works' production is the second one I've attended in less than two weeks and, though the pacing is a little slow at times, it is a fairly solid and fun production with a game cast and great creative elements.....Seeing a second production of the play hasn't changed my thoughts on the shortcomings in the plot and the lack of depth in the characters of Noises Off. However, Frayn does do an exceptional job of structuring his comedy to play up the humorous events. ...Theater Works' cast does fairly well with the comic requirements of the play. As Garry, Dylan Kim gets the most range to play—from a calm tone in act one to frustration and jealousy in the second act, and then nervousness and the need to frantically improvise in act three....He also throws himself into the part...As Lloyd, the Noises On director, David Chorley is good with the character's constant sarcastic tone, and shows him as a delusional madman in the second act. As Dotty, the slightly older actress who can't quite get her lines or staging right, Toni Jourdan evokes a daffy nature that aligns well with the character. We don't quite see much difference between her on stage and off stage roles, though it still works....Except for a slightly slow pace at points, Richard Powers Hardt's direction is adept and plays up the fun nature of the script. Brett Aiken's set design is exceptional and his lighting works well..Noises Off provides a playground for actors to stretch and display their comic chops. While I have some issues with Frayn's script and a few quibbles with the Theater Works production, there are several humorous moments and a cast who throw themselves into the play with sheer abandonment. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)