Palmieri & Crew’s performance of Noises Off leaves audiences rolling in the aisles.
From left to right: Gina Pinson, Jordan Antonio, Mariah Linton, Rosmina Garcia, and Colby Shaller. Photo by Mia Nogueira
From November 3-6, TJ’s Performing Arts team exhibited their comedic skills in their phenomenal performance of the comedy-of-errors Noises Off.
This backstage farce provided TJ audiences with a variety of intricate settings, characters, and wild plot twists that left viewers falling off their seats in laughter. The play contains hysterical performances from Joseph Powell, playing the indecisive actor Gary Lejeune, Colby Schaller, playing the sleezy director Lloyd Dallas, Anna Romero, playing the seasoned actress Dottie Otley, Jordan Antonio, playing the forgettful Frederik Fellows, Mariah Linton, playing the confident and reasonable Belinda Blair, Gena Pinson, playing the naïve Brooke Ashton, Andrew Jason Rawlins, playing the whithered Selsdon Mowbray, and Whitney Hackbarth and Rosmina Garcia playing stage managers .With these oustanding performances, the play proved that the TJ drama department can be as uproarously hilarious as it can be professionally focused.
The story, which is told in three Acts, begins with the production of a play, titled Nothing On, during a last-minute dress rehearsal. During the beginning, we see Director Lloyd Dallas (played by Colby Schaller) tediously directing his cast through the play in a last-minute effort to pull off the performance. The scenes that ensue truly display Schaller’s comedic abilities with his condescending sneer, his sophisticated attitude, and the hysterical comments he provides to the actors. This Act not only introduces the variety of characters and crew working on the production, but also gives the audience a taste of the spectacular set in which the performance takes place. The set used in Act One is an elaborate stage-set, including two stories, multiple doors, and countless props. This complex and critically designed set is crucial for the success of the play considering both the use of the numerous doors in comedic entrances and exits, and the realistic atmosphere it provides for the audience.
Act Two, which takes place backstage during a performance, shows off the play’s other set, which consists of a dreary backstage setting and a look at the inside workings of the stage set. During this act conflicts arouse among the players leading to violence, injuries, and drinking; all during the play. As chaos ensues, so does hilarity, exhibiting gut-busting acts of anger from Powell, Antonio, and Pinson.
By the time Act Three rears its ugly head, things are really starting to get bad among the performers. The Act takes place on the last day of the production, and proves that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. From blundering misplacement to falling down stairs, the performers fail in all aspects, leading to a riot of a closing act.
After unforgettable TJ productions such as Rent: School Edition and Moon Over Buffalo, the TJ Drama Department has consistently set the bar high for stellar acting, comedy, and stage production. Noises Off, without doubt, raises the bar and continues the tradition of remarkable productions made by TJ students, and performed to TJ students. Michael Palmieri and company have put on another stellar performance that makes TJ proud to still be one of the top theater schools in the state.
