Reviews
of Currently Running Shows
|
Please, if you have an addition or comment, send it to theatre@eBHM.org |
|
Noises Off April 18-27 at
ACTA Theatre Reviewed April
25, 2008 by Nicholas Johns It is such a delight to go out on a Friday night to a show in town and be blown away by it! That is what will happen to you if you get the chance to attend the current ACTA production of Noises Off! It has to be without a doubt one of the greatest pieces of theatre I have seen locally in a long time! First off the set for this production is fantastic! Suellen Wilkins, the show’s director, has done a super job of getting a set of this magnitude on this stage. It works so beautifully and looks so great you will be amazed, especially when they have to turn the entire set TWICE! It is a work of art within itself! Congratulations go to the set crew and builders! Then comes the meat of the show, the actors! What a joy to watch a wonderful ensemble piece in every sense of the word. There is not a weak point within this cast. Does this mean they are perfect?…well, they are close to it! When you have audience that is laughing non-stop during an entire show and leaving with such a huge smile on their face, you know the actors have done their job. Amy Harlan as “Dotty” starts it all off. She has wonderful comedic timing and was extremely enjoyable to watch. Then we have Cliff Keen Jr as “Lloyd” speaking from out of the audience to begin the show, because you see he is director of Nothing On! the play within a play and he is fantastic. He has wonderful inflections in his voice during the first part of the show, as you cannot see him until he comes up on stage, you do not need to see him because of what he does with his voice. He is wonderfully believable and funny as Lloyd. Next we have Kenny Morris as “Garry”! Oh my goodness, just wonderful delivery and emotion in his lines. He is hysterical! Along comes Crystal Chappell as “Brooke”. She is wonderfully cast and her comic timing is strong. Her “her deer in the headlights look” is so funny you can’t but smile before she even says anything. David Gregson is “Selsdon”. Another riot of a character. He can’t hear very well and that makes for wonderful comedy all around him. Definitely a crowd favorite! Kevin Garrett as “Roger” is a hoot! He is sincere and funny, which makes him even more likable. Susan Cook as “Belinda” is a gem. Her running around during most of the show is phenomenal! He comedic timing is strong as well! Hannah Wilkerson as “Poppy” is a job to watch. Her role is one of those roles where you think she isn’t really going to be on stage that much but when she is she is just downright wonderful! Danny White as “Tim” has wonderful moments and completes the fantastic ensemble of a cast! In the program, the director Suellen Wilkins, is quoted as saying the “best cast she has ever worked with”! We are all in total agreement. Judging from the laughter, the tears, the sides hurting, and the huge grins on everyone’s faces, we were lucky to see some of the most talented actors around! If you have an ailment I recommend a HUGE does of Noises Off! It does a body good! 5-Stars! All thumbs way UP! |
|
Noises Off April 18-27 at
ACTA Theatre Reviewed April
20, 2008 by Billy Ray Brewton
Farce is a difficult thing to perform, in general, much less perform
well. It requires near perfect comedic
timing, the kind of physical comedy that leaves actors covered in
perspiration and a tight and affective script. Luckily, ACTA Theatre has successfully
discovered the right formula, which is in practice now in the form of
"Noises Off", the hilarious comedy that has long been a favorite of
theatre fans because it shows the workings of a theatrical performance from
the perspective of both on-stage and backstage. The play comes and goes in three acts. This was my first trip to ACTA, and I
was a little pessimistic that a show like "Noises Off" could be
carried off on such a tiny stage.
Director Suellen Wilkins and cast proved me totally wrong in that
regard. The set is break-away. Act One takes place with the actors
rehearsing the show. Then the set
comes apart and is flipped around for Act Two, which takes place backstage
during the opening night performance of the show. Then the stage comes apart again and is
flipped back around so the audience can see one of the actual performances of
the show. Each set change takes about
10 minutes, which is why there are two intermissions built in. But, don't let that worry you. The show still clocks in at under two hours,
and believe me, you won't stop laughing. The first strength comes with the
script. It has always been one of the
funniest ever written for the stage.
But, it takes some talented actors to make it work, and ACTA has found
them. The highlights of the
performance were Susan Cook as Belinda, exuding a natural confidence through
the entire show that really makes her enjoyable to watch; Kenny Morris as
Roger, whose Act Two energy especially is so incredible that it really helps
to carry the entire act; Kevin Garrett as Philip, who milks his nosebleeds
for everything they're worth. I also
thoroughly enjoyed Hannah Wilkerson as Poppy and Cliff Keen as Lloyd, and
their Act Two interchanges are quite humorous. But, everyone in the cast does a fine job
and they all work very well together. So, I will conclude with saying that "Noises Off" is one of the funniest productions I have seen in Birmingham in quite a while. ACTA has successfully pulled off one of the trickiest comedies around and they make it look so easy, you'd think they've been running it a lot longer. The show runs for one more weekend and I highly suggested you check it out while you have the chance. |
|
Here is a link to a neat site that has reviews of the film versions of musicals: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/8849/moviemusicals.htm |
|
|
|
These pages are dedicated to the promotion of live theatre
that uses local |
Our sponsor is AuditSoft