Mesa Little Theatre's Noises Off! at The Mesa Arts Center Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 4/11/00
(out of )There were several disasters and a tragedy equal to the Titanic on opening night of Mesa Little Theatre's production of Michael Frayn's nearly-impossible-for-community-theatres-to-produce farce, Noises Off! The major disaster was the Achilles heel of the script: the set. Bob King's behemoth looked the part, but took up to 25 minutes during each of the two intermission for the poor actors to turn. It lacked slamming doors that are trademark of this type of farce. It swayed dangerously, and appeared to be the kind of deathtrap that every actor and audience member fears. My companions and I took bets on how many actors would unintentionally trip on the flimsy stairs (three, as I discovered, admittedly half of what I bet).
Several minor disasters included a production that came in at just over three hours (a flaw which director David Plummer insisted in an email the next day that he has taken steps to rectify). Also disastrous is the sloppy, imprecise blocking that undercuts the comedy of the piece. Finally, inconsistent accents put this second rate touring company travelling through the American circuit somewhere between Britain and the Borscht Belt. As my companions and I stumbled from the theatre at 11:15, feeling more like survivors than patrons, we recognized the real tragedy of the evening: Despite all of the disasters, there was actually some impressive acting and funny comedy during the whole ordeal, which makes it hard to dissuade potential audience members from attending, assuming they've paid the babysitter overtime.
The star of the evening, Yonna Meyerowitz, was the leader of the ragtag troupe that disintegrates throughout their tour. Seen from the hilarious-but-daunting perspectives of front and backstage, this company had moments of pure comedy that made us in the audience laugh uproariously. Ms. Meyerowitz plays the precocious Dottie with a perfect accent and a distant air that is of a professional caliber. Her bits of business, from stretching to pouting, are well-played without being intrusive. She is the sharpest of a generally positive cast.
Curt Wooley's aging, drunken roué, Selsdon, is delightfully on-target, from handlebar moustache to booming baritone. Christine Tindall does as much as she can with the weakly-written, harried stage manager, Poppy. Robert King's frayed director, Lloyd, lacks a bit of the edge, but he makes up for it with his playing of pompous. As for the rest of the ensemble, Eric Mathiesen's Gary, Tim Hedger's Frederick, and Sharon Yormick's Belinda all have their moments of endearing humor. The only disappointments come from the gender-bent casting of T.J., played here by the miscast Elizabeth Chambers, and the one note, campy performance of Nicole Parfinovics as dumb blonde Brooke, which played type for laughs in a way that was less realistic than the rest of the performers.
Mr. King strikes out twice in the evening, as his Lighting Design is filled with holes, though it must be acknowledged that the Mesa Arts Center Theatre is no Herberger when it comes to stations and instruments. Costume Coordinator Phyliss Plummer, who has double duty as the Producer, has done a good job of establishing character though clothing choices.
Assuming that Opening Night was similar to the joint Dress and Tech Rehearsal portrayed in the first act of the script, and the actors are able to spend more time than the two days they had on the ill-conceived set, then there's a chance that this will be a successful production. It's just a shame that the first night crowd had to pay full price for the honor of seeing what may eventually be a good show, once it's used to being on its feet.
Production Details:
Noises Off! by Michael Frayn
Mesa Little Theatre
The Mesa Arts Center Theatre, Mesa
(480) 834-9500, Option 1
March 10th - 26th, 2000