With a tantalizing, tremendous twist of 180 degrees, the cast of Noises Off transformed. The sheer insanity and perfect execution of their transformation pulled me into their performance.

A short preview of the play put on by the FHC Theatre left me confused yet intrigued. The concept of a play about actors and actresses acting in the play Nothing On seemed immensely intricate and made me question whether a group of high schoolers would be able to pull it off. Despite my concerns about quality, I bought tickets before the play.

As I walked into the theatre on an unforgettable and snowy Thursday night, the lights dimmed around me and coated the audience with a blanket of darkness. Excitement ran through my every vein as the lights revealed the play director for Nothing On.

From the first beam of light, my suspicions of whether the cast could pull it off vanished. The utter dedication that shone through the actors’ voices, faces, and movements scared off the doubts as if they were ghosts and the actors were the infamous Ghost Busters.

After the first act, an intermission interrupted my complete focus on the play. As I sat down through the ten-minute break, a group of stagehands went hard to work and turned the set around. I was no longer seeing the set for the play Nothing On. However, I now saw a behind-the-scenes look into the actors for the play Noises Off.

As confusing as it seems on paper, it was truly astounding in person. In mere seconds, actors switched roles and had complex stories.

In the second act, the quality of Nothing On deteriorated as the relationships behind the set ramped up. This only heightened the complexity of Noises Off. Not only were the student actors and actresses playing the roles of real actors and actresses, they had to perform their lines for the roles their characters were playing.

The play was captivating, but it was also hilariously comedic and edgy. Jokes weren’t just blatantly said but rather worked into the storyline. By the reception from the audience, I could tell they were well-received.

Every joke was delivered perfectly and precisely timed. While most of the jokes were mature, they were hysterical – some made me snort, which I did get a few looks from. Jokes weren’t just one-liners in this play; many of them were actions. Some were actions of revenge that played out like a cartoon, but the overlying joke was how the play was degenerating right in front of my eyes.

Once the third and final act ended after the downfall of Nothing On, I wanted more. Compared to the few other shows I’ve seen the theatre put on, Noises Off is definitely my favorite. Leaving the theatre was hard; the quality of this play shattered the standards set by the previous fall plays. Watching the dedicated cast perform in front of a beautiful set with an enticing storyline truly made me feel like I was watching a professional play.