18 — Friday, March 19, 1999 ~ North Shore News pack stage comedies delight B Noises Off... by Michael Frayn, produced by First Impressions Theatre at Deep Cove Shaw Theatre to March 27. Reservations: 929-9456. ® Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig, produced by the Arts tub Theatre at the Staniev Theatre to April 4. Information and reservations: 687-1644. Martin Millerchip Curtain Call martin@nusnews.com NEED a laugh before you buy your fifth umbrella since Christmas? There’s a couple of good farces playing right now that should tickle your brolly- bone. What made back-to-back trips to the theatre such a treat fast week was that one of the shows was by the local community theatre group First Impressions and came off almost as well as the professional show [ saw at the Stanley. So, locals first. Ie’s the second time that First [pressions has put on Noises OFF... the first in September 1994. Some of the cast are back for a second crack, including then-director Ryan Crocker, this time as an actor. T remember enjoying the earlier production, so I was not prepared to do much more than nod approval — familiarity will breed boredom [| thought. Wrong! This fast-paced, tightly controlled show got me laughing and involved. Frayn’s title refers to the classic stage direction that calls for noise off-stage to signal an approaching actor or action. His script follows a theatrical touring company rehearsing for the opening of a play called Nothing On and then watches while a bad play goes co worse as the offstage life of the company affects the onstage production. Since the play within a play already contains farcical elements its not hard to ratchet up the action as actors pop through scenery doors to see sights that make them forget lines, business and entrances. Eventually the noises off threaten to drown Nothing On in rhubarb. ee phoio A. Lanthier ‘LORNE Kennedy. Goldie Sempie and Allan Zinyk (reer) are part of the excelient cast that elevates Moon Over Buffalo above second-rate comedy. Home Furnishings Leather Work Car and Boat Antiques Refinishing and Repairs Hot Tub Covers Expert fashion aiterations & repairs fast service reasonable prices Free estimates, pick up &t delivery 19 years experience Your satisfaction is our concern Call 985-7449 NEWS phiote Julie iverson A nice (!) plate of sardines is featured prominently in Noises Off..., an excetient tocal production. Part of the excellent cast are (from left) Nicole Fairbairn, Demetri Goritsas and Carol-Lee Palidor. The staging requires the set to reverse in the middle act to fet us witness the backstage business of the scene we saw in Act 1. Kudos to designer Nick Boughen for being willing to con- struct another two-storey monster capable of withstanding excessive abuse The only criticism I have is the lack of believable relation- ships in this production. Jealousy doesn’t work as motive unless a) there is something to be jealous of and b) there was a defined existing relationship in place to begin with. In fairness, the writ- ing doesn’t help. Much of the relationship stuff takes place in whispered or mimed exchanges in the backstage Act 11, so much of the action is of the show-and-tell variery. Nevertheless, an otherwise excellent and funny Demetri Goritsas and the dialect-challenged Carole-Lee Palidor could set us up for a more truthfl ride in Act 1. Directing this show must be a nightmare of waiting for the timing to arrive and my hat goes off to Darlene Manchester for getting it all right. Standouts for me from a very solid cast were the aforementioned Goritsas, Greg Anderson, Ryan Crocker, Nicole Fairbairn, Kerrie Givens and Michael Morabito. Ifyou missed Noises Off... first time around (and even if you didn’t), 'd urge you to catch this production if you can. It’s a laugh. Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Paffalo also purports to be a farce. It isn’t, despite the rather predictable chase through swing- ing doors that ends Act 1, and some extended identity confu- sion. Nevertheless, if you can survive a set-up that takes longer than the single-laned drive downtown over Lions Gate Bridge, Ludwig's rather slight play pays off with handsome pertor- mances from the cast of this latest Ares Club comedy. Once again, the subject matter is the backstage antics of a theatre company. This time its 1953 as one of the last of the touring actor-managed companies competes with Hollywood and the upstart television. Their weapon of choice: hackneved versions of Noc! Coward's Private Lives and Edward Rostand’s big R romance Cyrano de Bergerac. Gcorge and Charlotte Hay’s company is in debt; their daughter is visiting with her potential husband although she knows her former love, the stage manager, will be there; George has possibly impregnated one of the actresses; and Grandmother Ethel is getting deafer. The stakes get higher when director Frank Capra comes a-calling for a couple of emergency replace- ment stars in his current movie. Lorne Kennedy and real-life wiie Goldie Semple star as the Hays, and star is the right word here. They breathe greasepaint, exude emotion and fake charnt like they have been doing all their lives (the Hays, silly). Bur Semple and, especially, Kennedy keep these larger-than-life dusty icons human, never going so far over the top that we no longer care what happens to them. (Kennedy's drunk act is worth the price of admission alone.) The supporting cast is perfect too. Kathleen Duborg, Allan Zinyk, and Mark Weatherley all get their share of laughs, Craig Davidson is perfect as the thankless straight man and, on final preview night, Doris Chilleott was already stealing scenes by doing less, not more. It's possible that the unnerving tendency of the company to work too hard in the beginning was svmptomatic of a preview performance, but even if Jolin Cooper's otherwise excellent direction remains amiss in Act E, T would still recommend you consider visiting Buffalo. "Peace of mind under our sign." SOU) Lonsdale North Vancouver iE INSURANCE (604) 983-3523 i Can = HOMES > BOATS BUGINESA = TRAVEL TRO Located on Lonstltle at Gavens next f2 Quepnsdale Market and Drvcletiters. ee abalian production notes NEWS photo Julle iverzon JO-ANN Pawliw of the Helen O’Grady Children’s Drama Academy has been rehearsing students for a presentation at North Shore Winter Club March 10. NEWS pinoto Paul McGrath THE teens of Saivation Army’s Power House drop-in centre recently performed a comedic version of the Titanic to raise money to attend camp in Olds, Alberta. NEWS photo Paul McGrath GRADE 4 and 5 students from Ecole Pauline Johnson recently performed Une Visite 4 Paris, a comedy in three languages, at West Vancouver Memorial Library. ROMAN SHADES Workroom Direct Prices Tinermal « Regular Room Darkening Lining Our fabric or yours... e LJ imagine! Specialty Window Coverings 1564 West 6th Ave., (between Granville & Fir)