I don't have any pictures of this show to scan and post, but you can see a few shots at this Katie Finneran site.

Noises Off is one of my favourite movies. I literally fell off the couch the first time I saw it, I was laughing so hard, and no matter how many times I see it it never fails to crack me up. So when I heard they were reviving it on Broadway, I knew I had to see it. Add to that the casting of Peter Gallagher (a long-time favourite) as Lloyd, Faith Prince (someone I've been interested in seeing for a long time) as Belinda and other fun people like Richard Easton and Edward Hibbert (a cool treat for this Frasier fan) and I was sold. I wasn't as enthused about Patti Lupone playing Dotty, but I figured I could deal with it. However, I discovered that the performance I wanted to attend was a scheduled absence for Ms. Lupone, so it was all good (and I totally blew away the box office guy when he discovered that not only did I already know she was going to be out, but that I wasn't particularly upset about it! :-).

I have honestly never laughed so hard in the theatre as I did this afternoon. I of course couldn't help but compare the show to the movie, and while it came up short in a couple of areas, for the most part I enjoyed it just as much. There was a little segment between the second and third acts that isn't in the movie at all, and it had me (and the rest of the audience!) on the floor. It was brilliantly done by T.R. Knight, who played Tim, and who was probably my favourite member of the cast. He was absolutely hilarious, and such a cutie!

The rest of the cast were also terrific, even if they did overplay wildly from time to time. I'm in such lust with Peter Gallagher, and he spent most of the first act standing in the aisle near my seat, so I was a happy camper. I wasn't as enthused about Robin Weigert as Poppy (she was the only cast member that I really didn't like) and I have to admit I was disappointed in Katie Finneran as Brooke. Perhaps it was just that she had been so hyped on the theatre discussion forums that I was expecting too much, but I thought she was fine and funny in the role, but nothing special. Faith, Richard and Edward were all fun, and Barbara Sims, Patti Lupone's understudy, was a total hoot as Dotty (and I think must have been cast in part because she resembles Ms. Lupone enormously - I overheard people at intermission arguing about whether it was Patti Lupone or not, and I have to admit that when she first entered I wasn't sure either!).

There's not a lot to say about the specifics of the show - it was exactly what I was expecting, and very close to the movie (with a few slight line changes and such). I laughed and laughed and laughed - even the jokes and gags I knew were coming were fresh and funny. The whole thing was just terrific.

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