Fans of British comedy will undoubtedly enjoy The University of Memphis's current production of "Noises Off."
The play was written in 1982 by Michael Frayn, and is actually a play within a play.
The play being put on inside "Noises Off" is called "Nothing On," a farcical sex comedy that provides many chances for the actors, both real and in the play, to get into some pretty funny situations.
"This particular play is very much based on assumptions and stereotypes of actors and it's really funny to see that played out on stage," said Katelyn Vawter, junior theatre major and cast member.
Vawter's character is the stage manager for "Nothing On," who feels a little out of her element.
"She was raised in a very upper-class family and this is her first job ever, and she just didn't really know what she was getting into," Vawter said. "She's made these friends, but at the same time they're so different from her."
That class difference is not the only reason Vawter's character feels alienated.
"They all have to work for a living and she doesn't, but also they're actors and she's not," Vawter said. "She doesn't understand acting and why they'd want to do that."
The play has three acts, which basically consists of the same story told from three different points of view.
In Act One, "Nothing On" is performed as a dress rehearsal, "the night before the opening and it's the craziness that happens putting a show up," according to director Stephen Hancock.
"The first act you get to see how "Nothing On" is really supposed to be done," said cast member Chris McCollum. "It's all very Monty Python British humor."
The second act is set a month later, and the set is actually turned around so the audience is really watching what happens backstage during the performance of "Nothing On."
"The second act is very physical and the only thing you hear is the "Nothing On" dialogue and the only thing you see is what's going on backstage, so in essence it's all pantomime that you see," McCollum said. "So you kind of get a Marx Brothers type of comedy from that."
McCollum plays the character of Gary, an actor who is playing the role of Roger Tramplemain in "Nothing On."
"Gary is a very passionate guy, he really means to do well," McCollum said. "He's a little inarticulate when it comes to saying what he really means."
Roger, the character Gary plays, is a little different from Gary in that "he's a very assertive guy," according to McCollum.
Gary is going into a house to have sex with another character named Vicki and hilarity ensues.
"It's not really his house, but he's making it out to be," McCollum said. "Nobody should be in this house right now, but there are three different parties going on."
The final and third act of "Noises Off" catches up with the acting troupe after several months on the road.
"They're all tired and they don't want to do it, but they have to, so they just get offstage as soon as they can," McCollum said.
According to Hancock, putting on the same show three times was a challenge for the real-life actors involved in terms of remember which point in the show they're actually at.
"It was hard for the actors because there's just enough difference in each running of the play that makes it difficult to remember if we are in Act 1 or Act 2," he said.
Those variations in each act are sure to keep the audience engaged and laughing all the way to the end, according to McCollum.
"You get to laugh, but you get to laugh for different reasons in every part of the show," he said. "It keeps you coming back for more."
"Noises Off" runs through Saturday. The show starts at 8 p.m. Call 678-2576 for more information.
