Noises Off

In 1970, British playwright Michael Frayn was watching a production of a farce he had written about a dinner party in which two actors played all the roles. He was watching from the wings. Realizing that the comedy was funnier from this perspective, Frayn decided to write a farce set entirely backstage. Thus was born the 1982 classic Noises Off, which follows a series of actors backstage as they perform an awful sex comedy titled Nothing On. The play is being produced on two different stages in the Milwaukee area this season; the first version opens tonight at Carte Blanche Studios, 1024 S. Fifth St.