The Sharon Playhouse is throwing open its doors (and slamming them theatrically) for “Play Soirée: Noises Off,” a one-night-only romp through Michael Frayn’s hilariously catastrophic backstage comedy. On Friday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m., two local luminaries, Michael Kevin Baldwin and Andrus Nichols, will lead what promises to be an exquisitely unhinged reader’s theater experience.
If you’ve never experienced Frayn’s madcap maze of missed cues and sardines, this is your moment. “Noises Off” is the crown jewel of meta-farce: a play about a play going spectacularly, unrelentingly wrong. Doors open. Doors close. Lines are forgotten, feelings are bruised, and everything teeters on the edge of chaos. It’s a kind of theatrical Jenga, and every block teeters on the edge of collapse.
Emma Simon, actor/educatorPhoto by Aly Morrissey
But for this production, the plot is almost beside the point. This evening is about the joy of being in a room, scripts in hand, drinks in glass. You don’t have to be an actor (though all levels are welcome) as roles are handed out on the spot. It’s democratic, it’s chaotic, it’s a little bit tipsy. In short, it’s theater as it ought to be — alive, messy, and fueled by community…and cabernet.
$20 gets you in, gets you a drink, and maybe even gets you a starring moment in one of the greatest backstage implosions ever penned. It’s part rehearsal, part party, and entirely unmissable.
Register now at sharonplayhouse.org/classes to secure your spot.
Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager, brushing Marsala upon arrival.Provided
Michael DeBarba, certified dog trainer working with Marsala.Jennifer Almquist
Marsala wins a heart.Jennifer Almquist
Sadie, center, a Carolina dog, plays with her friend Negra, a terrier mix. Bella Linda, the small poodle, has since been adopted.L. Tomaino
Wesley, a young, exuberant mix, is looking for an active home.L. Tomaino
Bonnie and Clyde, an affectionate terrier pair.L. Tomaino
