THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504190164
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: AHOSKIE LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
THE GALLERY THEATRE is going for the funnybone with its spring production, a play-within-a-play called ``Noises Off.''
It is the tale of a touring company that is scheduled to do a play, but it is nowhere near ready.
The scheduled play is a farce called ``Nothing On.'' ``Noises Off'' shows what happens to its group of bumbling performers.
The characters drop their lines and their trousers. Anything for a chuckle.
The actors' real-life relationships oft become entwined with their onstage persona, situations resulting in continuous laughter.
``Noises Off'' has been a theater favorite for a decade, popular because it is one of the wildest productions available.
It is a tour-de-force for the performers who are given the wonderful opportunity to portray two different characters.
The Gallery characters are a mix of stage vets and some newcomers. Henry Joyner has starred in many productions. His daughter, Amy, has limited her time onstage to chorus work. This time, she is one of the stars. The cast also includes Ernie Carter, Irma Bond, Tom Kiff, Betsy Umphlett, Melanie Edwards, Taylor Ward and Steve Woodson.
The Joyner-Joyner relationship on stage has dad as the state drunk, his daughter as someone who tries to keep him on the straight and narrow.
``He gives me advice all the time,'' said Amy, an 18-year-old Hertford County High School senior. ``He critiques some of my lines. He tells me to be calm with one line, more aggressive with another.'' Amy, in turn, helps dear ol' dad with his British accent.
``I like comedy,'' Henry said, ``and Selsden is my kind of character - a free spirit. I like to think I'm that way.''
One difference - Selsden hits the bottle; Joyner merely taps it.
Amy is having fun with her part because her character, Flavia, ``almost overacts in the play the company is doing,'' she said.
She wanted to do the part before going to North Carolina State University in Raleigh, this fall, where she will study communications.
Amy, last year's Roanoke-Chowan Junior Miss, recently recognized by WAVY-TV as a Young Achiever, has also been a lighting director for the Gallery Theatre. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
Betsy Umphlett, left, Ernie Carter and Irma Bond help create the
hilarity in ``Noises Off.'' In the play-within-a-play, the
characters drop their lines and their trousers. Anything for a
chuckle.
by CNB