UCI’s Department of Drama performed “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn from March 6-14. Directed by Eli Simon, Claire Trevor Theater was filled with the sound of slammed doors and uproarious laughter. The quirky characters and unique plotlines kept the audience’s attention for all three of the play’s acts. “Noises Off” is unlike anything else — it’s a unique take on theater, creating an unforgettable play-within-a-play. It centers on a struggling theater troupe stumbling through a British farce with technical difficulties, forgotten lines and even a love triangle.
The British farce — a comedy characterized by mistaken identity, physical comedy and innuendos — that the troupe is performing is called “Nothing On.” “Noises Off” is divided into three parts, with each act showing a different phase of farce’s collapse. In act one, the audience witnesses the final rehearsal. It opens with the first scene of “Nothing On,” where it appears to be a normal play before the character Mrs. Clackett forgets her lines and emerges as the actress playing her, Dotty Otley. The booming voice of the director is then heard from behind before he is revealed to be standing in the audience. This artistic choice makes the audience feel like they are really part of the rehearsal and makes them forget they are watching an actual performance.
In act one, frustration mounts as wrong lines, missed cues and emerging romances foreshadow disaster. In act two, the audience witnesses the opening night of “Nothing On.” However, there’s a twist; the play is shown from behind the set. This flipped perspective shows the behind-the-scenes of a play, highlighting the mechanics of the set and how actors prepare to come on stage. The first performance is where the problems from act one come to a head. Turmoil ensues backstage via a love triangle as the character Gary fights Frederick for Dotty’s affection. They get into a physical fight, with physical comedy being a major aspect of the second and third act.
In an interview with New University, UCI alum and Gary actor, Evan Lugo, explains how he talked with the actress playing Dotty, Malu Pizzatto, to imagine the nature of their relationship beyond the words of the script.
“[Gary] really cared about Dotty and really loved her and was hurt by her actions,” Lugo told New University. “And yeah, he wants to kill Freddy and Freddy just keeps pissing him off as the play goes on.”
“Noises Off” becomes all the more funny with its many slip-and-falls. While Lugo worked with a fight choreographer, most of the falls were not choreographed — instead, he was padded up to avoid injuries. He emphasized the importance of physical movements in act two.
“Act two is really telling stories physically because you don’t actually hear a whole lot of dialogue in the fights, you just see through all the physical alterations.”
The final act of “Noises Off” is a magnificent culmination of chaos. Everything that could possibly go wrong does, and watching the characters attempt to salvage it before giving into the destruction is hilarious. Lugo talks about how his character Gary constantly tries to stay positive.
“I think that relentless pursuit of the solution was my favorite part of playing him,” Lugo said. “And also he’s funny. He thinks he’s a lot smarter than he actually is. He was always trying to be positive until he crashed down the stairs.”
The characters’ persistence and their ridiculous ways of trying to keep the play on track, even when it seems like there’s no point, is what makes “Noises Off” so fun to watch. After all, the show must go on. The way Lugo sees it, “this is such a theater person’s show. In my opinion, it’s for creative people.”
Along with its physical demands, Lugo said the show required a lot of mental focus. He told New University that it was one of the most challenging shows he has ever been a part of.
“You have to be present all the time,” said Lugo. “You have to be ready for anything to go wrong, for a prop to not be in the right place and you have to keep it going and I think that’s obviously just true in theater; you have to keep the show moving forward, but in this show things would go wrong cause that’s the play.”
Intentionally making mistakes while still controlling his performance was one of the biggest challenges for Lugo, exacerbated by the way the version of the botched lines would change in each act.
“I think early on in the process, once we were doing all the acts, there were a couple times where I would almost slip into the lines from act three when I’m in act one,” said Lugo. “Like instead of the hot water bottle, it’s the first aid kit. Instead of the dress, it’s the door handle.”
Luckily, he never made these mistakes during an actual performance, as he gained a sort of muscle memory that helped him remember his lines.
But through all the craziness, the cast formed camaraderie. At first, Lugo felt like a bit of an outsider, as he is an alum and the rest of the actors were graduate students. But through the long process of rehearsing, they formed a tight-knit group.
“You have to have trust in your ensemble and trust in everyone else because the show doesn’t work if you don’t,” said Lugo. “So I came in wanting to be a team player, be a positive energy in the room much like Gary.”
By opening night, the ensemble was more than ready to perform in front of a packed audience. Lugo said that there are three characters in the show: “the actors, the set and the audience. That was the last piece of the puzzle that we had been missing and we were ready by opening night.”
“Noises Off” is proof that comedy is just as important as dramas and tragedies. While other plays teach lessons, what audiences take from “Noises Off” is also significant. As Lugo puts it, “If you walk out of the theater happier than you were when you went in, that’s a win for me.”
Ayiana Grana is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at angrana@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin and Joshua Gonzales
