Marquette Theatre has rounded out its 2025-2026 season “Viewpoints” with its final show, “Noises Off,” opening on April 17 at the Helfaer Theatre.
“Noises Off,” written by English playwright Michael Frayn, follows the cast and production team of a play titled “Nothing On,” and the mishaps and chaos that ensue as a result of the cast’s consistent forgetfulness and personal drama. All three acts of the play showcase the same first act of “Nothing On” from different perspectives and points in time, and how the cast slowly spirals as tensions heighten.
“Nothing On” is a comedy that takes place in an old country home owned by Philip and Flavia Brent, where various characters, including a real estate agent and his romantic rendezvous, the Brent family and a burglar, all enter the house under the assumption that they are the only ones there. The housemaid, Mrs. Clackett, does her best to keep the guests from running into one another, but by the end of the play, mayhem rises as they all become quickly aware of one another.
It’s characterized by a typical slapstick and physical comedic style, where characters run around in their underwear, get things glued to their hands and continuously slam doors. Sardines are also a constant motif throughout the play, which later becomes a main source of much of the confusion.
A play where everything goes wrong is a great way to describe this show, as it was apparent before the actors entered the stage.
The typical pre-show announcements were scrambled, as multiple variations of the same announcement played before quickly being turned off, as if the button was pressed by accident. This was shortly followed by an unsure-sounding overhead announcement giving stage cues for lights and curtains.
Because I wasn’t entirely sure of what was to come for the rest of this play, these mishaps seemed genuinely unintentional. I came to find out that what appears to be natural chaos is surprisingly expertly calculated.
That being said, some of the chaos that came with my experience watching the show was genuine, as we were met with a tornado warning that halted the show for 45 minutes. It was a hilariously fitting circumstance to be in, considering the premise of the show.
The first act of “Noises Off” is set at midnight during the final dress rehearsal before opening night, hinting that no characters are prepared for opening night. Dotty, played by Erin Cavender, a senior in the College of Communication, plays Mrs. Clackett in “Nothing On.” She cannot figure out what props to take with her as she leaves her scene, specifically when and where to take the plate of sardines, and the director, Lloyd, played by Michael Kratzer, a junior in the College of Communication, shouts at her from overhead.
The audience is then gradually introduced to the remaining members of the cast as the rehearsal progresses.
Garry, played by Peter Neugent, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, plays real estate agent Roger, and his character didn’t even know today was a dress rehearsal. Brooke, played by Kynkade McLachlan, a senior in the College of Communication, plays Roger’s romantic fling, Vicki.
Despite McLachlan’s intentionally flat delivery in Brooke’s role as Vicki, she was a standout. McLachlan was able to perfect this “Schitt’s Creek” Moira Rose-esque accent, which was slightly British and transatlantic, with her ditsy personality bringing an innocence to the character.
Brooke came across as though she thought she was doing top-notch acting, attempting to compensate for her dry delivery with unnecessarily large movements, which was hilarious to watch. It takes a good actor to act poorly, and man, was Brooke’s acting poor.
As the cast runs through the act, the scene is stopped more often because characters forget a prop or a line, frustrating Lloyd.
From the characters’ responses to Lloyd’s constant badgering, you could tell that this kind of behavior might have been common throughout the rehearsal process. The cast often spoke to Lloyd as if he were their friend, which later caused characters to take his critiques more as a personal attack rather than a constructive comment.
The act ends with Selsdon, played by Draylin Pickett, a senior in the College of Communication, forgetting the very last line of the act, which was the cherry on top of this already disastrous rehearsal.
Act 2 began with the crew turning around the set so the audience could see the back of the on-stage house. Being exposed to something that is meant to be kept hidden was a fitting choice for how this act unfolded and coincided with how the characters were deconstructed into more vulnerable parts for the entire audience to see.
The entire act takes place behind the set as Act 1 of “Nothing On” continues in the background. However, the personal relationships and dilemmas between the characters come into full swing. But they have to hash these out quietly, as the play is still going on, so a majority of the act has almost no dialogue when they are behind the set, with actors relying on exaggerated expressions and gestures.
As we get to the final act of the play, what began as a show where some things were messed up turned into a play where nothing goes right.
Act 3 takes place at one of the final performances in the cast’s 10-week run of the show. Tim, the stage manager played by Michael Mingus, a senior in the College of Communication, begrudgingly welcomes the audience to the show, notifying us that the “tour is on its very last legs.” Which, once the play begins, becomes very apparent.
The audience now observes the first act of “Nothing On” from the front of the set, but you can tell that each character has completely given up. Dotty continues to be frazzled by her props, especially the infamous plate of sardines, and Brooke runs the scene as scripted. By the middle of the play, the characters, specifically Belinda, played by Patricia León de la Barra, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, are grasping at straws as to how to keep this show afloat.
Belinda was a calming presence throughout the show, acting as a mediator even though she occasionally talked down to the people around her. Throughout the entire show, I was always thankful for her character, as she was the only one who seemed to be putting any effort into keeping the show running.
By the end of the act, none of the original plot that the audience had seen in Act 1 remained. The improv that came from the show’s characters on stage genuinely seemed to come from a place of fear and confusion, and I honestly started to feel stressed for them. It truly amazed me how this cast was able to act out chaos and make it look unscripted. Everything felt natural, like we were really a part of this downward spiral.
Act 3 ended just the same as Act 1, with Selsdon forgetting his line. With all of the disarray that ensued over the course of the act, this was the one thing that stayed consistent from the rehearsals, which was hilariously fitting for this cast of characters.
In the craziness that was “Noises Off,” one thing that stayed consistent was its inconsistency, and that’s what kept it entertaining. Whether it was actors falling over each other, messing up lines or throwing sardines at one another, the humanness of these characters was exemplified through each actor’s performance. Overall, “Noises Off” was a perfect storm of hilarity and mayhem.
“Noises Off” will play at the Helfaer Theatre on April 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 26 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
This article was written by Elise Emery. She can be reached at [email protected].
