Endicott College's Mainstage Production 'Noises Off' is a Riot of Laughs

Places are in three! Do you have the sardines? Wait, what do you mean places or now?

Bringing a barrel of laughs to the stage, Endicott College opens its mainstage production with Noises Off. A gangle of performers hopelessly try to put their show on its feet. With endless bouts of rumors and cheating between couples, by the end of the night, the show is a complete disaster.

I am always overjoyed to go back to Endicott College for their theater shows. After not having an audience for some time due to the pandemic, it’s safe to say that the audience had the best time laughing in their seats at the comedy and actors running about onstage. Noises Off is a wild show demonstrating how important it is to practice cues and leave drama offstage.

The cast of Noises Off did an impeccable job. I give them another round of applause. Not only do they succeed in comedy, but physical comedy is added into the mix. With all the running about the stage, sprinting upstairs, and loads of other physical comedy, I did not see a bead of sweat.

For a show like this, the cast worked tremendously well together, which is ironic because, in the show itself, the characters are at wit’s end with one another. It’s a strong lesson that you should leave drama off the stage.

Interpretation of character, facial reactions, and clever deliveries was well-achieved. The cast challenged themselves in tough physical comedy, running up and downstairs (some in heels) as a lot of doors slammed in the process.

Having to perform as two opposite characters, the performer and the actor, everyone did a remarkable job studying their characters. For a small cast, they were excellent. With all the running around there were a couple of slips and slides, but the cast worked through them.

An immense shoutout goes to the production crew. A handcrafted construction of a house with an entire living room design, a staircase, and many doors was designed right on the stage. And turning the set around was an entire backstage area. Between acts, crew members rotated the set, preparing for the next act.

Not only the actors, but the technical crew brought Noises Off to its feet. Lighting, sound effects, and all props were a signature part of the show. I liked how we had the opportunity to watch the crew move the set onstage instead of it being done behind a closed curtain.

Noises Off has three acts. The second act of the show is signature. The entire act was my favorite. For me, when seeing a show or performing, audience reaction is everything. The hysterical laughter ensuing from the audience was a wonderful sound. Everyone was having a good time laughing so hard that eventually, they were crying.

After the events that have transpired in the last year, we all needed a good laugh. Katie Clarke and Brittany Paskos excelled in their direction, especially when dictating the chaos that ensues in act 2. I’m sure that a lot of concentration went into it as it is so chaotic, in a good way that is.

As Clarke and Paskos remark, ‘[The show} also takes a huge risk by showing the audience the mess.’ I agree. No show is ever perfect. We all have our stories, whether as performers, crew members, or audience members to experience a show that was not perfect.

I had the best time watching Endicott College perform Noises Off. Slowly, the theater has been coming back. It brings people together, onstage and off, bringing hearts to laughter.