‘NOISES OFF’: (left to right) Daniel Davis, Kate Jennings Grant, Andrea Martin, Jeremy Shamos & Megan Hilty. Photo: Joan Marcus

NOISES OFF
Written by Michael Frayn
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Through March 6, 2016
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

There was a time when comedy was a staple on Broadway, now it is a rarity, and a fun-loving farce is nonexistent. So whenever Noises Off is revived, it is a welcome addition to any theatrical season. Mr. Frayn’s comedy has never been considered high art, but is a wonderful, gut-splitting tale about a regional touring company of a bad show, with second-rate actors, from the time of a final dress rehearsal to final performance of the tour. It could be about any American touring company, but this particular one is set in the British hinterlands.

The setup is brilliant: Act I is set at the final dress rehearsal hours before curtain time; you get to see the dreadful play being performed onstage. A lot of the plot centers on sardines, missed cues, slamming doors, pratfalls, bloated egos, affairs souring; in short, every conceivable disaster that a farce faces. Act II is a month later, with all the action taking place backstage at a performance of said dreadful play where the performance starts unraveling. Act III is two months later at the end of the tour and everything has unraveled.

Whether you are a seasoned or a first-time theatergoer, the fun here is the situation is so relatable. You might think that some of the action is so outlandish and far-fetched, but in the theatre it really isn’t, and that is the nature of a farce and one is supposed to go with the flow. With the theme being so universal, I’ve often wondered why when this show is done in America, why Mr. Frayn hasn’t given license to change the setting from England to the USA. This farce would work in any country that has a touring company and it wouldn’t saddle the actors doing atrocious British accents, and most of the actors onstage can’t do a proper English accent to save their life and this is not a deliberate part of the play. The cumulative accents of the actors in this production go in and out of their accents throughout the play, and you wonder why not just drop the British accent and just do it as a straightforward farce without the audience having to strain to understand what is said on stage?

That being said, just sit back and enjoy the high jinks taking place onstage. As this is an ensemble piece, I can’t help but mention the entire cast: Tracee Chimo, Daniel Davis, David Furr, Kate Jennings Grant, Megan Hilty, Andrea Martin, Rob McClure, Campbell Scott and Jeremy Shamos. All lend their comedic talents to this exhausting farce and it is no small feat. Jeremy Herrin, who last year directed Wolf Hall, keeps the cast moving at a frantic pace. All you have to do as the audience is sit back and enjoy an hysterical evening of high jinks in the theatre.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 18, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on January 17, 2016

‘NOISES OFF’: (left to right) Megan Hilty, Daniel Davis, Kate Jennings Grant, Jeremy Shamos, David Furr & Andrea Martin. Photo: Joan Marcus

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MATRIARCH OF THE ‘HOUSE’: Blythe Danner in ‘Country House.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE COUNTRY HOUSE
By Donald Margulies
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Through November 9, 2014
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
461 West 47th Street, (212-239-6200)
www.ManhattanTheatreClub.org

By Scott Harrah

Things seem familiar in this comedic drama by Donald Margulies (Time Stands Still) about a showbiz family gathering in a country home near Williamstown, Massachusetts, headed by matriarch/aging actress Anna Patterson (Blythe Danner), and for good reason. Mr. Margulies, a Pulitzer Prize winner, knows how to create dramatic tension with his crisp dialogue and numerous plot twists, but unfortunately he relies too much on half-baked ideas we’ve seen elsewhere, particularly in the rural, angst-ridden epics of Anton Chekhov. There are many great lines and a few outstanding performances, but also little substance or originality in The Country House.

Anna is about to start rehearsals for a summer stock production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession during the town’s annual Theatre Festival. Her Yalie granddaughter, Susie (Sarah Steele), has just arrived from school, still mourning the death of her famous actress mom, Kathy, from cancer.

Susie’s father is Walter Keegan (David Rasche), a Hollywood director, who is engaged to the glamorous Nell (Kate Jennings Grant). Susie is upset that her father is going to marry so soon after her mother’s death. Meanwhile, her uncle, Elliot (Eric Lange), is overwrought because he once had the hots for Nell when the two of them did a show in Louisville years earlier.

In addition, all the women lust and pine over longtime family friend and hunky TV star, Michael Astor (Daniel Sunjata). This rather silly subplot reeks more of soapy melodrama than Chekhovian longing.

What happens throughout most of the play is predictable and trite. Walter whines about being too successful in L.A. and getting everything he wants. Elliot has failed as an actor, feels inadequate and is trying to write his first play. Anna isn’t sure she can memorize all the lines for Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Along the way, characters spew witty one-liners about life in the theater and show business in general because ultimately this is a story of actors, all cooped up together and being philosophical.

Blythe Danner is the star of the show, and although her Anna is elegant and sassy, her character is one of the show’s least interesting. The standouts here include Ms. Steele (“The Good Wife”), who injects a nice mix of adolescent sarcasm and vulnerability to Susie. Eric Lange is excellent as the emotionally tortured Elliot. His meltdown in the second act, when he talks of his sister’s death and reveals childhood secrets to mother Anna, is stage acting at its best.

Daniel Sullivan does an admirable job directing everyone. John Lee Beatty’s set is impressive. There is indeed a lot of talent on the stage, so it’s a shame The Country House, despite some wry observations about the acting world, says so very little.

A MOTHER’S TOUCH: (left to right) Kate Jennings Grant, Daniel Sunjata & Blythe Danner. Photo: Joan Marcus

GRANDMOTHER & GRANDDAUGHTER: Blythe Danner & Sarah Steele. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 6, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on October 5, 2014

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