Steppenwolf has a well-deserved reputation for producing bold, risk-taking plays. Its choice to present the dated British farce Noises Off in more or less straightforward suburban dinner theater fashion as its season opener seems at first, and perhaps second, blush to be decidedly off-brand. But when you think about it, zigging when everyone expects you to zag feels very Steppenwolf in its own way.
The only thing that really matters is whether or not this fall fling, produced in association with Geffen Playhouse and directed by Tony-winning ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, succeeds in entertaining audiences. That it does, albeit with reservations.
The play, which chronicles the calamitous production of a naughty period farce-within-the-farce called Nothing On by a touring British theater troupe, is well executed, but it doesn’t kick into the frantic gear needed to really nail the laughs until the madcap third act.
Meanwhile, it’s a pleasant diversion with some top-notch performances. Chief among these for me is Steppenwolf artistic director Audrey Francis, who plays Belinda, an actor desperately trying to keep the flailing scenes intact as she moves stiffly across the stage, arms held out almost at shoulder height like a living Egyptian hieroglyph. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, even when Amanda Fink (amusing in the jolly tart role) was running around the stage in her pink knickers.
As the well-meaning but utterly tongue-tied Garry, Andrew Leeds displays wonderful comic timing as well as delivering a bravura tumble down a flight of stairs that drew deserved applause at the opening Sunday. Fran Guinan is a hoot as Selsdon, an actor who never met a cue he couldn’t blow or a bottle of scotch he wouldn’t pilfer. Everyone in the cast, which also includes ensemble members James Vincent Meredith and Ora Jones along with Vaneh Assadourian, Rick Holmes and Max Stewart, have their droll turns in the spotlight.
Given all the tension surrounding the presidential election and ongoing world strife, counter-programming Michael Frayn’s beloved 1982 slapstick comedy is probably a good bet. Steppenwolf will get back to breaking artistic boundaries soon enough.
Noises Off runs through November 3 at Steppenwolf Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
