If I’ve been quiet here at NLT lately, it’s because I’ve had a much busier Christmas break than I’m used to. The reason for this is that I’m in the midst of rehearsals for the Mansfield Playhouse production of the classic British farce "Noises Off", which opens this Friday evening, 13 January, at 8:00. There are also performances on Saturday the 14th, the following Friday and Saturday (20th and 21st), and a matinee on the afternoon of Sunday, 22 January. I’m playing Lloyd, the director, no doubt due to my uncanny resemblance to Michael Caine
I don’t usually promote my shows at NLT, mostly because I have no idea what proportion of our readers are local. But if you happen to live near Mansfield, and are a fan of the theater, I hope you’ll consider coming to see it. And if you’re a fan of NLT, or at least a friendly critic, I hope you’ll come downstairs after the performance and say hello.
Good luck with one of my favorite all time comedies. I saw the play in London at the Savoy Theatre in 1983 when it first came out, and never laughed as hard in my life. The Brits have these kind of door-opening-and-closing farces down to a science (really a fine art, of course), and I’ve never seen an America stage production (I’ve seen three now) of "Noises" come anywhere close to the original Brit production of it, and I thought the movie was barely a shadow of the stage play. (Cast all wrong, except for Caine.) Americans tend to turn farce into slapstick with a Brit accent, which is not the same thing. Anyway, wish I could be there to see it. Break a leg, as they say in the stage business!
Thanks, Steve. And you’re right about the movie--doesn’t hold a candle to the stage version. Act 2, which is the hardest I’ve ever had to work on stage, completely loses its effect when it moves from the stage to the screen.
Don’t forget the sardines!
N.O. is one of the great (and athletic!) farces; it is soooo much work for both the director and the actor. Break a leg!!!
Not to be critical (more wondering)...do professors at Ashland have lots of spare time? I thought you were supposed to burn the midnight oil, etc. on manuscripts? This sound far too well-rounded to be likely on most college campuses.
For those who are considering attending, I just returned from a rehearsal of this performance. And though I know many of the actors on stage, I was still engrossed in the action(not thinking "Oh Moser dropped line".) This is a difficult play to stage, especilly act two, and I must say they are doing great work with it. Well worth your time.
Dain: Professors at most elite univeristies make about $150,000 a year while teaching a class a semester. Their Office (Happy?) Hour is usually 4:00pm on a Friday. They do this while simultaneously canoodling with coeds. It is a difficult life, but be thankful these brave warriors of academe are up to the challenge!
Thus, there is ample time to rehearse between typing a few pages for their next book.
Yes, I’m just disappointed that the demands of the show have forced me to cancel my weekly tuition-funded massage.