Sounds of laughter surround GLTG’s ‘Noises Off’

Chardon group offers tremendous production of wonderful farce

There’s an old saying that when one door closes, another opens.

The nine doors don’t just open and close in Michael Frayn’s brilliant farce “Noises Off,” being performed by the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild at Geauga Theater in Chardon. They open widely and slam shut with astounding regularity, and behind each one is an opportunity for hilarity.

“Noises Off” is a play within a play that follows the exploits of a terrifically dysfunctional theater company. Each of the show’s three acts contains the troupe’s performance of the first act of a play called “Nothing On,” in which multiple couples converge upon a house. The couples believe, falsely they are alone, which results in mistaken identities and slapstick humor.

Act One is set at the technical rehearsal, where the cast is still learning their lines and stage directions. Act Two shows a Wednesday matinée performance one month later and is seen from backstage, where we get to witness offstage drama featuring affairs, sabotage and attacks with a fire axe. Act Three features a performance near the end of the 10-week run, where everything has gone completely to hell.

“Noises Off” made its Broadway debut in 1984, had Broadway revivals in 2001 and 2015 and was nominated for multiple Tony Awards along the way.

The GLTG production, under Karen O’Baker Porter’s precise direction and astute oversight, lives up to this play’s legacy.

The brilliantly timed entrances and exits and the seamless, nonstop shuffling of props — all of which contribute so much to the show’s humor — are a testament to how well-rehearsed the actors are and how comfortable they are in their roles and with one another on stage. Each one perfects his or her respective character’s steady descent into lunacy.

Mark Miloro plays a sarcastic and understandably frustrated Lloyd, the troupe’s director, whose attempts to conduct a successful show are negated by his multiple destructive affairs with company members.

One of these affairs is with overly sensitive and fragile assistant stage manager Poppy, played by Natalie Dolezal. Dolezal and Lance Williamson, who plays stage manager Tim, are believable in their exhausted states.

Hannah Maxwell is downright charming as actress Belinda, who, despite the often less-than-ideal circumstances, is positive and sensible and a welcome refreshment. Shane Wohlken plays the bumbling, well-intended actor Frederick with the perfect amount of dimwittedness.

An enchanting Mayim Hamblen embodies the often lingerie-clad actress, Brooke, who is assisted in her state of undress by GLTG costume designer Chloe Porter, while Mike Bollinger does a fine job portraying the elderly, alcohol-motivated actor, Selsdon.

Cameron Zona is fantastic as Garry, a player whose jealous and vengeful acts are absolutely hilarious. And Caroline Mansfield is terrific as Dotty, an actress who suffers the most abuse throughout the show’s run and whose appearance and actions become comically disheveled.

Lit by Brad Allen, Phillip Rogers’ attractive set design begins as the inside of a two-story home but, during intermission, the massive structure is spun around to reveal a theater’s backstage.

The farce “Noises Off” puts on display just how easily a theatrical production can fly off the handle. GLTG’s staging demonstrates how a theatrical production can get everything just right.