Fall brings farce to Lake County stages

Having our clocks fall back and the sudden de-leafing going on can be a downer to a lot of folks.

If you agree, I have just the tonic for you — a door-slamming farce! This weekend, you have your choice of two, or catch them both!

Madcap comedy is on the way at two of our area high schools this weekend. First is Mentor Theatre and their annual fall play, “Noises Off.”

The performances are Nov. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are general admission and will only be available prior to the show at the box office. They are $10 for adults and $7 for students 18 and under and seniors.

This staging marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Fine Arts Center in 1993 and also the first time the play was performed under the direction of Joe Lorek.

The show was first performed over 30 years ago in London. When Mentor first staged it, they were possibly the first high school in the area to attempt it. I know, because I was Lorek’s assistant director on that show.

The show follows an acting company as it rehearses a farce called “Nothing On” and the chaos that ensues as the company travels across England and tensions rise and relationships fall apart.

“Noises Off” takes place in three acts — the first during a rehearsal, the second during a performance but seen from backstage, and the third another performance seen again from the front. Running gags and hilarity ensue as the show within a show deteriorates.

If you haven’t seen it before, rest assured that it’s hilarious.

“It is an honor to once again produce a show that was originally directed by Mr. Joe Lorek,” director John Greene tells me. “‘Noises Off’ has been so fun to work on with the cast who has worked tirelessly on timing and fleshing out their characters. It really highlights the aspect of the importance of the backstage crew.

“The actors performances can only exist because of the hard work of the crew and each audience member will see why when they come see the play.”

Part of the reason is the placement of props and furniture. You have to really get things right to make them look like they are going so wrong.

But the real star of the show is in some ways the set itself. A two-story monster of slamming doors and windows, the entire behemoth needs to spin during the first intermission so you can see the second act from behind.

Part of the reason many schools do not attempt the play is because they simply do not have the stage height to accomodate the needs of the set. When the Mentor Fine Arts Center opened in 1993, it was the first time Mentor could even consider staging it.

“I usually start figuring out what shows we do the year prior,” Greene says. “With ‘Noises Off,’ I knew five years ago. Mr. Paul Gatzke suggested the title as the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Fine Arts Center and the original Mentor Theatre production of it.

“(The original staging) was so well received, Mr. Lorek took the show — set and all — down to Columbus to perform for the State Thespian Conference.”

I was there for that, and let me tell you - the only thing crazier than building a set that complicated is to put it on a truck five months later and reassemble it in essentially a threehour window. The stage received its own applause when the lights went up.

“The cast has really gotten close over the rehearsal period because the smaller cast has to focus on the inner relationship of the characters they portray,” Greene says. “The greatest aspect of this show is the fact that if the kids mess up, it only makes the show funnier so it alleviates some of the stress.”

Can you tell the real mistakes from the “fake news?” See for yourself this weekend. You just might see me there!

Riverside High School

Why attend only one farce when you can see two? At Riverside High School in Painesville Township, the young thespians will present “Boeing Boeing” this weekend.

Performances are Nov. 8 at 5 p.m., Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. Tickets for the shows are $8 pre-sale or $10 at the door and can be purchased online.

“Boeing Boeing” is a classic farce written by popular French playwright Marc Camoletti that premiered in Paris in 1960 where it ran for seven years. An English translation was first staged in London in 1962, where it also ran for seven years.

When the show came to Broadway in 1965, it lasted 23 performances. Despite that failure, the show actually returned to Broadway in 2008 and won the Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Revival.

The District is once again hosting a Senior Citizen Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 8 at 4 p.m.

Resident seniors can enjoy dinner in the Riverside High School cafeteria prepared and served by students in the Foods and Nutrition classes. The dinner will then be followed by a free performance of the fall play, Boeing Boeing by the Drama Club in the auditorium.

The appreciation night is free for senior citizens.

Young Thespians is a regular column that focuses on youth in theater. Do you have a production you wish to see featured? E-mail stevecouch@windstream.net, follow me @ Steven R Couch on Twitter or join our “Young Thespians” Facebook group and post your show information.