STAGE REVIEW : ‘NOISES OFF’: GETTING BETTER WITH AGE

In “Noises Off,” a touring company’s work deteriorates as it ventures deeper into the provinces. But the same principle doesn’t necessarily apply to “Noises Off” itself. Michael Frayn’s backstage farce is funnier at La Mirada Civic Theatre than it was at the Ahmanson a couple of years ago.

A qualifier: I was among the minority who found the Ahmanson production too loud and long, something of a strain to sit through. “Noises Off” is still long, for a show that’s so light, yet the time passes quicker at La Mirada. The theater itself is much more hospitable than the Ahmanson; the actors don’t have to shout and mug as much. But architecture aside, Glenn Casale’s staging is brilliantly tuned and paced. Particularly impressive is the crowning hilarity of the third act, which had earlier struck me as redundant.

The name on the marquee is Kathryn Grayson, looking pudgy and bewildered as Dotty Otley, the over-the-hill trouper who plays the maid in the play-within-the-play. This is a startling switch for a star whose name is usually associated with dignity bordering on stuffiness, and Grayson pitches bravely into the battle, revealing a genuine flair for looniness. Not as brassy as Dorothy Loudon, Grayson’s performance is truer and more touching.

“Noises Off” is no star vehicle, though, and Casale hasn’t shunted aside the rest of his cast. Louis Dezseran is a scream as poor dear Freddy, gamely trying to create art out of “Nothing On.” Lydia Laurans establishes her ditzy blonde as, paradoxically, the worst actor and the most professional performer in the “Nothing On” cast; although her gestures are utterly wooden, at least she knows her lines and keeps plugging away at them in the midst of the third-act chaos--stopping only to search for her contact lenses, of course.

Everyone is in top form here: Katherine Justice’s eagle-eyed gossip, Marshall Borden’s harried director, Cameron Smith’s inarticulate juvenile twit, George Pelling’s old drunk, Brent Hinkley’s bedraggled stage manager and his always-the-bridesmaid assistant, Kristin Lowman.

The set and costumes are duplicates of the New York originals. Performances are at 14900 La Mirada Blvd., Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30; (213) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.