'Noises Off' Offers Farcical Humor

“Farce isn’t done often on this campus,” says Boyd I. R. Hampton ’16, director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club’s “Noises Off.” The cast of the play hopes to remedy that situation with their new production, which runs Nov. 6-15 in Farkas Hall. With quick dialogue and slapstick comedy, the play aims to offer a fresh, funny take on the more challenging sides of life.

Based on the concept that comedy is even funnier when seen from behind the scenes, “Noises Off” is a farce that focuses on the actors of another, fictitious farce, “Nothing’s On.” As the relationships among the characters get more strained and absurd, the actors’ performances soon devolve similarly and the lines between actors and their characters blur. “It’s definitely different in that, in the beginning of the play, they’re distinct—very much two characters. It’s a fun challenge to see how they fall apart as the play falls apart,” says Geoffrey G. Binney III ’17, who plays Garry Lejeune, a stuttering actor with an interest in Dotty Otley (Brooke E. Sweeney ’17).

In contrast to the elaborate structure of the play, its genre is fairly straightforward. It is a comedy—nothing more. Producer Avni Nahar ’17 hopes the laugh-out-loud humor of the show will appeal to theater fans and non-theater-goers alike. “I think it’s really just to entertain, at the very heart of it—to bring a lot of people together who have a really good time watching it,” she says.

The cast hopes to convey a deeper meaning that they believe will resonate with the student body. “All of these characters are juggling a lot, says James M. Graham ’17, who plays Lloyd Dallas. That’s where all of the humor comes from. So I think really being able to take a step back, look at that, and realise how—just how ridiculous it is, sometimes, and how all of these things overlapping causes you to be completely frantic, in a funny way, is a good way to look at it.”

From beginning to end, “Noises Off” seeks to offer a humorous escape for its audiences. “My main goal is just to make people laugh, because who doesn’t need more of that?” Hampton says. “I think Harvard students, along with everyone in the community, just need a laugh.”