A man walked lazily across the stage in front of the red velvet curtain. He rubbed at his eyes as though he were just waking from a rough slumber. The man, identified as Tim, yells offstage and the
curtain rises to reveal a quaint living room.
Tim, played by Greg Myers, is just one of the many eccentric characters in the most recent KSU Theatre production “Noises Off.” Jordan Martens, senior in theater, described “Noises Off” as a play within a play. The characters are seen fumbling lines, forgetting props and running into nearly every possible disaster a play might experience.
Once the living room appears from behind the curtain, Tim immediately begins to adjust items in the living room. He is followed by Poppy, a short blonde woman played by Martens, and Lloyd, a demanding director played by Robert Wighs.
The lights begin to flash across the stage and Tim yells at the controller to calm them but it is no use. The lights continue to flash and a character claims he is about to suffer a seizure. This ignites the first burst of laughter from the audience.
“It’s pretty entertaining,” said Joe Asley, freshman in history. “They’re too dysfunctional to complete their rehearsal.”
Wilson designed the costumes for the performance and said the concept of the show was “modern British.” She said a lot of the costume pieces were meant to look like they were provided by a bottom rung theater company so they are not necessarily meant to be highly stylish or completely downtrodden.
Wilson said many of the costumes, like the dress worn by Brooke Wilbur who played both Brooke and Vicki during the performance, sets the mood for a fun farce.
The character Brooke was named a favorite by audience members. She was an attractive and tall blonde who appeared to be very distracted.
“[My favorite part is] probably how dumb the blonde girl is,” said Abi Wilson, sophomore at Manhattan High School. “It’s really funny and it really makes the play.”
Brooke could be seen spacing off and as the night progressed, she was so involved in the performance that she managed to tear her black pantyhose. As Brooke’s pantyhose took a hit, more than one of the male leads was found dropping his pants.
“Sex maniacs everywhere!” exclaimed Roger, played by Michael Wieser.
Both Asley and Wilson said they would recommend others attend the following performances tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee
at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“I hope that [the audience] just gets a good time and non-stop laughter out of [the show] and that when they go home, their stomachs hurt from laughing so hard,” Martens said.
"Noises off" displays play within a play
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008
Updated: Friday, November 21, 2008
 "Photo: Joslyn Brown")
Joslyn Brown
6 comments
Dori
I really enjoyed the play “Lights Off” performed in Manhattan, KS. I have never seen any play similar to it. I enjoyed the total energy of the play. What I enjoyed most about “Lights Off” was the continuous chaos characters exposed to the audience.
Jack McFarland
I would like everyone reading this far to understand that even though factual errors have no place in a newspaper, the Collegian is in no way an arm of the theater department.
Joe Nesley (Not Asley)
Aww my name was misspelled, but seriously the show was great.
Kathleen Henderson
I have to agree with the previous comment. I understand that mistakes can happen, but this article, and the captions accompanying the pictures, feel as though they were slapped together at the last minute without a second glance. Not only are 4 out of 6 of the people in the photos incorrectly named (both actor and character), but in one case the action of the picture wasn't even correctly identified; Michael is shouting across the stage and the collegian claims that it is Kyle having a nose bleed. This article shows a lack of respect for the content and lack of pride in your work as a journalist.
Sharon
This is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. What a great show "Noises Off" is...! Kudos to the entire production-- to a person it is well cast, and well directed. We'll be back to see it again before it closes on Sunday.
Erin Grotheer
I am slightly disgusted by the lack of inquiry in to who the actual performers are. I assumed simple facts, like names, would be easy to come by. But you know what they say about assuming. It's much appreciated that the Collegian takes interest in the Theatre Department, but it just shows a lack of dedication when the right names can't even match the right people in the photos.
