Last Call for "Noises Off!"

Today's your last chance to catch the comedy Noises Off, and (as I have mentioned before), I recommend it highly!

That would be easy to do just because of the fact that several of my friends are involved with the show - but I'm eager to recommend it for an even better reason: it's a great show that also happens to be screamingly funny!

I caught Friday's performance, and I had a blast. The play is very sharply written and perfectly staged to get the maximum laughs. The premise is deceptively simple: in Act One, a traveling theatre group is working on its final dress rehearsal for a play called "Nothing's On," and they're struggling with the play and with their personal lives.

In Act Two, the scene shifts to the same set, only now we're backstage and can see what's going on while the actors are performing the show. The troupe is about halfway through their run of the show, and things are getting tense.

In Act Three, we're at the end of the run, and without giving anything away, let's just say the chickens come home to roost.

It's a show that anyone who's been involved with theatre will enjoy, because they'll recognize the controlled (and uncontrolled) chaos that goes on to make a show happen. But even if you don't know anything about theatre, you'll enjoy this glimpse behind the curtain.

So you have a very funny show - all you need now is the right actors to bring it to life - and 5th Avenue Theatre has assembled (to use a baseball term) a murderer's row of actors (in other words, some of the best the area has to offer). It's a real challenge to keep up with this show - each actor's timing has to be spot on to keep the farce moving at top speed, and they all make it look effortless.

Mary Williams is wonderful as Dotty (Mrs. Crackett), the housekeeper at the center of the action both on stage and "behind the scenes." It's a tough role, made famous by Carol Burnett, but Mary is fantastic in the part and very funny, too.

Mike Murdock plays the show's director, Lloyd, and no one can go from slow burn to volcanic rage with greater comedic effect than Mike. As always, you can never go wrong casting Mike in your show - and comedy is his natural element - he's a scream here.

James Holley plays Garry, and it's the first starring role I've seen him in - and I look forward to seeing him in future shows. He's excellent here, and gets huge laughs for everything from his attempts to mangle a fellow cast member, having an onstage meltdown, and doing an amazing tumble on the stage.

Alison Smith plays Brooke, the beautiful actress who spends most of the show running around in her undies. Despite her youth she's a theatre veteran, having practically grown up on stage in Huntington, and her experience serves her well - she manages physical comedy and pratfalls as well as the sharp dialogue and always for maximum laughs.

Leanne Haines plays Poppy, the stage manager, and she's wonderful (as always) as she tries - and fails - to hold the show together. She knows how to get the maximum laughs out of the smallest gestures or the most withering looks.

Mike Naglee plays Frederick, an actor with a habit of fainting and an aversion to violence (and there's plenty of that to go around). He's absolutely perfect in the role of the dim Frederick, and spends quite a bit of time running around in his undies, too - and to hilarious results. Michael's been away from the stage for a few years, and it's great to see him back where he belongs - he's terrific!

Kate Morris plays Belinda, who's (sorta) the "straight man" in the show - or at least one of the few characters to keep her sanity while everyone around her is losing theirs. Her comedic timing is spot on, and she holds the show together by sheer force of will.

Greg Kiser plays Tim, the much-put-upon set builder / props guy / gofer, and he has some great moments in the show - he perfectly captures that exhausted enthusiasm of the tech guy. And since he's the only understudy, you never know where he'll show up.

Last (but certainly not least) is Roger Hagley, who plays Selsdon, an old theatre veteran who has a drinking problem. And a memory problem. And he also struggles with keeping his pants on. He's a riot, and steals more than one scene along the way.

Congratulations to director Stephanie Sands for creating such a wonderful show, and kudos to the set construction team (I understand my pal Jerry Morse was instrumental in the design) for creating a set that could be rotated (somewhat in a Tetris style) for each Act.

It's an outstanding show, and I urge you to get down to City Hall this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. to catch the final show. It really is one of (and perhaps the) funniest shows ever staged.

Highly, highly recommended! (Or did I say that already?)