The IU Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance will present Michael Frayn’s comedic play “Noises Off” in February and March.
“‘Noises Off’ is a play within a play,” according to the IU Theatre press release.
The story is about a group of actors in a British resort town who are performing a farcical play. However, the focus is on their backstage antics.
The successful play premiered in 1982 in London, where it ran for more than four years.
“Noises Off” went to Broadway, and it inspired a film adaptation and many major revivals.
It is one of the most widely produced comedies in the world, according to the release
Murray McGibbon, an IU professor of directing and acting, directs the production of “Noises Off.”
The play features set designer Kevin Nelson and a cast of nine graduate and undergraduate students.
This production of “Noises Off” will be “a faithfully British incarnation of the play,” according to the release.
“There have been some productions that have experimented with setting it in the U.S., but I think the whole theatrical tradition in Britain is crucial to the comedy,” McGibbon said in the release.
New York Times critic Vincent Canby said the play is “a practically perfect stage piece,” according to the release.
“The second act is really a comedic mathematical puzzle,” McGibbon said in the release. “So, as a director, you don’t want to try to make your own statement with it. It’s really very close to a finely tuned ballet, where you have to stick to the choreography or everything falls apart.”
“Noises Off” will run from Feb. 26 to March 5 at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.
Admission is $25 for adults, $15 for students and $20 for senior citizens.
Brooke McAfee
