Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre to Stage NOISES OFF This Spring

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, the Frederick area's only year-round professional producing theatre, is getting ready to open its 100th Mainstage production this spring with the hilarious backstage farce Noises Off.

A play-within-a-play, Noises Off captures a touring theatre company's production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Michael Frayn, the play's author, gives the audience a window into the inner workings of theatre behind the scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance. Brimming with slapstick comedy, Noises Off is a delightful backstage farce, complete with slamming doors, falling trousers, and, of course, flying sardines.

Arguably the funniest play ever written, Noises Off has been a crowd favorite since it premiered in London in 1982. A production later crossed "the pond" and opened on Broadway in December of 1983 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. American audiences had the same reaction as those in Britain. The show was a hit and received a number of Tony Awards including Best Director (Michael Blakemore) and Best Play, as well as taking home Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. The original Broadway production ran until 1985 for over 550 performances.

A film adaptation of the play was released in 1992 with a star-studded cast including Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Marilu Henner, Nicollette Sheridan, Denholm Elliott, Mark Linn-Baker, and Julie Hagerty.

In the fall of 2001, Noises Off returned to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for its first Broadway revival. This production starred Patti LuPone as Dotty Otley and Peter Gallagher as Lloyd Dallas. Again, the play was nominated for a number of awards including the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.

The most recent Broadway revival of Noises Off is currently playing at the American Airlines Theatre starring Andrea Martin as Dotty Otley, Campbell Scott as Lloyd Dallas, and Megan Hilty as Brooke.

Way Off Broadway's cast includes Matt Bannister as Lloyd, Jessica Billones as Belinda, Dino P. Coppa, Sr. as Selsdon, Nancy Jones as Dotty, Brian Kaider as Freddie, Sarah Melinda as Brooke, Matt Provance as Tim, Jordan B. Stocksdale as Garry, and Tamarin Ythier as Poppy.

The show will be Way Off Broadway's spring production, running from March 4th through April 23rd with performances every Friday and Saturday afternoon and matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month.

Noises Off will be under the direction of Justin M. Kiska, who directed the theatre's fall production of The Addams Family, which broke recent Box Office records.