Final performances slated for high energy comedy

Have you worked hard this week, are you tired of the rat race, or perhaps feeling a little under the weather? Then treat yourself to a mini vacation tonight by enjoying the Community Playhouse production of the high-energy comedy “Noises Off.”

Final performances will be held tonight and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the South Jackson Civic Center in Tullahoma. Good seats are still available and walk-ins are welcomed. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens (65 and older), and $8 for students. Tickets can be picked up at the door up to two hours before each performance. For ticket reservations, call 931-455-0620.

“Noises Off” is Michael Faryn’s tribute to the long beloved British farce as he creates a fast-paced farce about a farce. He takes the cliches of the genre and artfully weaves them into a play-with-a-play which is packed with even more delightfully funny complications than the standard farce. With a comical collection of nine characters, many playing dual roles, trying to navigate in and out of eight doors and a French window with four plates of sardines and various other paraphernalia, the action and the resulting laughter are virtually non-stop. This is a show that will definitely bring a smile to your face and keep it there.

The play opens in Act I with the cast of a touring company trying to get through a late night dress rehearsal of the farce “Nothing On.” Both the cast and crew are near exhaustion as they desperately try to pull a last minute show together before it opens in a few hours.

In Act II, the set is rotated 180 degrees to reveal the back of the two-story set. By this time the company has been touring for over three weeks, and their backstage relationships are starting to fray. The interesting twist to this Act is that the audience can simultaneously view both the on-stage and backstage action occurring on the set of the play-within-a-play. As the cast and crew deal with the tumultuous dramas unfolding backstage, they frenetically endeavor to make their entrances and exits on stage.

In Act III, the set is rotated once again to reveal the front of the set three months later. At this point the backstage dramas have begun to spill over into the onstage show. However, the touring company valiantly try to keep the show going and their efforts are a funny reminder of the old adage that “the show must go on” even as it falls apart!

“Noises Off” was brought back as part of the 50th Anniversary Season, because many Playhouse members believe that this is one of the funniest shows this theatre has ever produced. Although many people missed the February 1996 production because of an untimely snow storm, those who attended gave it rave reviews.

If the standing ovations that the current cast receives are any indication, then this production of “Noises Off” is also an excellent opportunity for you to support your local theatre and at the same time enjoy a comedy.