Normal Noises

Reviewed by Julia Stier

The Group Rep Theatre Company

Through Sept. 10

Normal Noises, written and directed by Clara Rodriguez, is a compilation of half a dozen short comedies. The six shows – “Bath Day,” “What’s in the Dip?,” “Stakeout,” “Balls!,” “Security,” and “Ripped Off” – cover everything from elder care to shoplifting.  However, while each play has its merits, the lack of throughline or clear theme between the pieces makes it hard to glean any sort of takeaway.

Which raises an interesting question – does every show need to leave audiences reeling from a message or call to action? Not necessarily, but in this case, a unifying theme would have helped to ground these shows.

This collection relies on the actors’ abilities to drop into characters who are lodged in very real situations, and only slightly larger-than-life — a harder feat than it may seem. Mareli Mitchel-Shields, who plays a dramatic griever in “What’s in the Dip?” and a pushy grandmother-to-be in “Balls!” expertly toes the line of caricature without falling into absurdity. She is effortlessly funny, and a joy to watch. Other standout performances include Michael Gabiano (in both “Bath Day” and “Balls!”) and Neil Thompson (in “Security” and “Ripped Off”).

There is no set designer listed, and the show would have benefitted from one. While I understand the need to keep the sets simple to allow for easy transitions between the pieces, the use of a bare bones set in this collection of plays sometimes leaves the actors hanging.  As the transitions themselves are a bit lengthier than they needed to be, the time was there to flesh out the scenes simply by having some kind of set.

One thing that does excite me about this show is how the collection of plays provides interesting roles for older actors. Whereas it can sometimes feel like more veteran actors are relegated to the kind-but-bland grandmother roles, or the angry old man, these plays feature quirky personalities and slightly off-kilter characters.

So maybe there isn’t a message, but the cast is having a blast. 

The Group Rep Theatre Company at The Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., NoHo; Thurs., Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; through Sept. 10. Runtime: 90 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. www.thegrouprep.com