Story Photos
 Photo by Bill Wagner If Mike Rader's character has fallen to his death, the show can't go on in 'Noises Off.' Other distraught Mainstage cast members are, from left, Kathy Bailey, Janeene Stephens, Julisa Smith and Jerry Wilson. |
Dana's last hurrah is a hoot: 'Noises Off' opens tonight
Thursday, February 22, 2007 7:25 AM PST
By Tom Paulu
Printable version
E-mail this articleMainstage Theatre director Dana Brown says his last play, "Noises Off," has his strongest cast and fanciest set ever.
"This is the best cast we've ever had," Brown said. "They just work their hearts out. I think the audience is going to be impressed.
"They know this is my last show. They want to make sure we go out together well."
"Noises Off," a fast-paced sex farce, opens tonight for a two-weekend run, though Brown said it might be extended if there's enough demand.
Brown, who has taught at R.A. Long High School and directed plays there for 27 years, has terminal cancer and has been told he has months to live. Hundreds of former students and cast members gathered for a reunion with him last month.
This week, Brown said he feels tired though he's still leading rehearsals for "Noises Off." Next week, he'll see a cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, who might recommend a new drug treatment program that has had good success in other patients.
For his last play, Brown chose a madcap comedy he's done twice before.
"Noises Off" is about a troupe of fifth-rate actors on tour with a sex farce called "Nothing On." Dotty (Janeene Stephens) can't remember her entrances and exits. The male love interest, Garry (Mike Rader) can't remember his lines. Brooke (Julisa Smith) is constantly primping and has no idea what the play's about. The director (Mark Bergeson) resorts to shouting out directions from the balcony.
Preposterous as the backstage disasters may be, they're not all that different from actual backstage bloopers, Stephens said. "They're slightly exaggerated but not much."
"There's even characterization of ridiculous actors you've worked with," said Jerry Wilson, who's in his 14th Mainstage play.
It's the toughest show he's been in, Wilson added. The actors said the fast action offers little rest -- Wilson enters one or another of the set's seven doors 58 times.
Yes, the show is racy. "There's a lot of underwear shown," Wilson said.
"The dropping of trousers is a common theme in farce," Stephens said. "So is the going in and out of doors." They rate the show PG-13, however, noting that younger children won't understand the innuendos.
Other lead roles are performed by Mike McElliott and Kathy Bailey.
During the opening act, the audience sees the hapless cast on their set. In the second act, however, the audience views the disasters occurring backstage. Daniel Zimmerman, a Mainstage alum and '99 graduate of R.A. Long who is now a graduate student in theater design at New York University, designed the rotating set for "Noises Off."
"It's the best set we've ever done," Brown said.
It weighs 4 1/2 tons, is 28 feet in diameter, and rotates on casters. "We give it a spin while they're changing the set," said Wayne Nichols, an assistant director. "To spin it takes about a minute." The crew had to extend the front of the R.A. Long stage so the set would fit.
Along with Nichols, Susan Donahue is an assistant director. She'll direct Mainstage's spring production, "The Diary of Anne Frank."
Tune in to KLTV for interview with Brown
An interview with Mainstage Theatre director Dana Brown and cast members of "Noises Off" will be broadcast at 12:30 p.m. today and 5 p.m. Saturday on KLTV, Channel 11. The interview will be followed by a tribute to Brown filmed by Susan Donahue.
The interviews are part of a new local show, "Entertainment at a Glance," produced by Kelly Hanson.
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