REP presents Michael Frayn's acclaimed comedy 'Noises Off'

6:04 p.m., Nov. 30, 2011--Backstage antics and onstage calamities abound in the Resident Ensemble Players raucous romp of Noises Off by Michael Frayn, playing through Dec. 11 at the Thompson Theatre in the Roselle Center for the Arts.

Guest artist Gregory Boyd, the artistic director of the renowned Alley Theatre in Houston, stages this howlingly funny comedy of flubbed lines, overblown egos, dropping trousers and an imposing plate of sardines.

Events Stories

June 5: Blue Hen 5K

University of Delaware graduates planning to attend Alumni Weekend are encouraged to register for the annual Blue Hen 5K walk and run, which will be held Sunday morning, June 5.

June 6-9: Food and culture series

The 20th annual June Lecture Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UD in Wilmington will be held June 6-9. Titled 'June a la Carte,' this year's program focuses on great political documents, feminism, world politics and a Newark cuisine sampler.

• June 6-9: Food and culture series
• Through June 30: 'Saving White Clay Creek'
• July 22: WWE Heatwave Tour
• Through Sept. 16: Women of color in academia

Noises Off follows the on- and off-stage antics of a third-rate acting troupe as it attempts to perform a bedroom farce called Nothing On. Everything that can go wrong does. Slamming doors, flying fish and an ever-reappearing bottle of bourbon produce one of the most hilarious backstage comedies ever written.

“Noises Off is certainly a love letter to the theatre, but the play’s mathematical ingenuity is also really remarkable -- and that’s one of its biggest virtues,” says Boyd. “The theatre here is like a submarine crew under duress, and the playwright uses it like a pressure cooker to let certain things about personal relationships come out. Frayn’s play is a love letter not only because it’s set in the theatre but because it does what the theatre is trying to do all the time, which it to create an artificial environment to say something real. And here, the lesson is about ‘keeping on.’ Just don’t stop.”

Performances run through Sunday, Dec. 11. Ticket prices range from $19 to $25, with discounts for students, seniors and UD faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased by calling the REP box office at 302-831-2204, in person at the Roselle Center for the Arts at 110 Orchard Rd. or online at www.rep.udel.edu.

The performance schedule for Noises Off follows: Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.; and Dec. 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 2 p.m.

At 1:15 p.m., Dec. 3, prior to the matinee performance, the REP Prologue will offer a free and informal presentation about the production, designed to enhance patrons’ enjoyment and understanding of what they are about to experience. A talk-back with the cast will take place after the evening performance on Dec. 1.

A complete schedule, directions and information on purchasing tickets can be found at the REP’s website or by calling the REP’s box office at 302-831-2204.

Photos by Paul Cerro