Tag: Noises Off

An Afternoon of Laughter with LEAP: “Noises Off” at the Alley Theatre

by Michelle Cardenas

This past weekend, the LEAP Ambassadors, along with friends and alumni, took our regular trip to Houston for an afternoon filled with laughter, great food, and a little culture. Our destination: The Alley Theatre to see the farcical comedy Noises Off. These Houston outings have become something of a tradition for us—a chance to bond over good food and great theatre, and this time was no exception.

Before heading to the show, we made our first stop at POST Houston, a spot we frequent for its array of restaurants that cater to every craving. From sushi to burgers and international cuisine, POST has something for everyone. After fueling up, it was time for our traditional rooftop photo with the Houston skyline in the background—a moment we capture every time we’re in the area. The LEAP Ambassadors, a few friends, and alumni joined in for the photo op, including Michelle Lyons and her daughter Katherine Burnett, SHSU alum and former SHAIP intern Ashlyn Rodriguez with her husband, as well as Jacob Wessels and Yajaira Gutierrez. With full stomachs and a great group, we were ready for the play!

For those unfamiliar, Noises Off is a comedy about…well, comedy. It’s a play within a play, following a chaotic theatre troupe as they stumble (quite literally) through a performance. Having some theatre background myself, I was eager to see how close this farce would be to the real backstage antics I’ve experienced. Spoiler alert: it was spot on—and absolutely hilarious.

The play is structured in three acts, each highlighting a different stage of a theatre production.

The first act is the troupe’s final rehearsal before opening night, where the director desperately tries to smooth out the rough edges—particularly the constant confusion over a plate of sardines, which becomes a running joke. The second act gives us a behind-the-scenes look, with the audience seeing the backstage chaos unfold as the actors’ personal issues boil over. Doors are slamming, props are misplaced, and love triangles are revealed. And then, in the final act, we witness the disastrous final performance, where everything that could go wrong does. The actors are left to improvise their way through the script, which by now is nothing more than a series of disconnected lines and missed cues.

It was a joy to see our group laughing together, especially as some of us were familiar with the antics that come with putting on a play. Stephanie, in particular, has long been a fan of Noises Off, and by the end of the show, Yajaira had declared it her new favorite too. It’s no wonder—between the witty dialogue and physical comedy, the play is a masterclass in farce.

As we walked out of the theatre, we couldn’t help but keep laughing about the final performance scene—the sardines, the dropped lines, and the general mayhem. It was a perfect ending to a perfect afternoon. In fact, I think the sardines became their own character in the play! It was a delightful reminder that sometimes, when everything goes wrong, it makes for the best kind of theatre…and memories.

We can’t wait for our next Houston adventure!

Noises Off-Laughter On

By Beatriz Martinez

noises_off_program_web

“Everyone please take your seats, turn off your phones, and open any candy wrapper that needs to be opened. The show will now begin.” The Leap Ambassadors enthusiastically sat down inside the Erica Starr Theatre waiting for the curtains to open as they were waiting for “Noises Off” to begin. This three act play is well known for its converging perspectives that revolve around one plot. It is a “play within a play.”

Noises Off, SHSU, LEAP Center

The main story consists of a theatrical group trying to put together a performance in the midst of personal drama, lovers’ quarrels, quirky characters, and a director with a god complex. During the first act, we are introduced to the different characters during the dress rehearsal of their own play “Noises On.” Just like any other dress rehearsal, there were many missed cues, missed lines, and missing (drunk) actors …”well, you know,” as Garry says. In the second act, the actual performance begins and we see the backstage perspective. The performers have been left on their own and tension is high. Mayhem runs rampant behind the scenes, and at some points even on stage. Regardless of everyone “trying” to get the show on the road, axes fly, bourbon bottles are drunk, and slaps are thrown around, making for a spectacularly silly sight to behold.

The third and final act allowed the viewers to see the final performance of “Noises On” in its full glory.

noises_off_performance_web

A very short glory that is, as sardines went flying everywhere along with the actors. Doors opened and doors closed (on the characters). And sometimes they could not be opened again. But we did have to applaud their improvisation skills coupled with a great choreography. It gave the audience a big laugh as we watched their performance go from bad to worse, leaving the audience to ponder Brooke’s “Sorry?”

Noises Off, SHSU, LEAP Center, Double Double

 

As the remarkable farce ended, everyone laughed and cheered while giving the SHSU performers a standing ovation as the SHSU theater department once more gave an excellent performance.

The Noise of Laughter Fills “Noises Off”

While many students take weekends off from school and learning opportunities, LEAP students took this Saturday to grow culturally by going to dinner together and attending a play in Houston. We began the evening by dining at a small cafe near our main entertainment for the evening: Cafe Express. The Cafe Express provided us with an abundance of choices ranging from flavorful salads to decadent pastas. I enjoyed their Harvest Salad, which included fresh spinach, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, feta cheese and delicious strawberry vinaigrette dressing. While conversing about the beginning of school and classes, we got our fill of salads and pastas before the play. It was a wonderful choice as our meal before we headed down to Playhouse 1960 for the showing of “Noises Off”.

Playhouse 1960 is a non-profit community theatre that was founded in 1973 and has since been providing their community with memorable theatre productions.  “Noises Off” was very much a memorable play. The first act made it very clear to the audience that it was a play within a play, and when everyone was focused on watching the stage, we were caught off guard when we heard the voice of the director, Lloyd Dallas, shout from behind our backs. Act One is the actor’s disorganized dress rehearsal, which presented us with ditzy actors missing lines, prop malfunctions and confusion coming from the stage.

Noises_Off_Opening

It delivered abundant laughter in the audience. The intermission gave everyone a chance to catch their breath from the laughter.

Interestingly, the intermission also gave us the chance to see the stage machinations in action.  Unlike most theaters, much of the scenery changing occurred with open curtains.

Stage_Organization_Web

Act Two was a behind the scenes look at the matinee performance of “Nothing On”. This act showed the entangled romantic relationships among the cast, which led to many on-stage missteps and misspoken lines. While all of the other characters were caught in their romantic turmoil, Selsdon Mowbray (the burglar with a fondness for alcohol) provided plenty of comedic relief along with the comical actions that were taking place back stage. This act was filled with behind-the-scenes whispering and misunderstandings among the cast while they performed their play. The act ended with a cliffhanger with the announcement of a pregnancy, which left us wanting to know more.

In Act Three, the actors are on their last show of the tour. With all of the relationship mishaps between the actors, we could see the growing tensions. The tensions were resolved with the more rational actors trying their best to tie up the play. Once the play had reached a point of no return, it ended with a quick confusing wedding ceremony. The entirety of “Noises Off” had us laughing until the end.

Noises_Off_Cast_Close_Web

Afterwards we were even able to have our group picture taken with the entire cast!

Playhouse_1960_Students_Cast_Web