By Bethany A. Monk
Assistant Editor

Center REPertory Company’s “Noises Off” is a scenic feast coupled with nonstop laugh-out-loud hilarity. Basically, it’s the kind of silly that makes one leave the theater grinning from ear to ear.

See this play, and you’ll laugh like it’s going out of style.

Written by English playwright Michael Frayn, “Noises Off” is a play within a play, which itself makes for delightful tension — especially for those with theater experience. We get to revisit the backstage drama, the nerve-wracking art of improvisation and even the disaster of a missing cast member at show time.

Take this theatrical madness, multiply it by 100, add a cast with magnificent talent and you’ve got a play too good to miss.

Timothy Near, who directed the Walnut Creek company’s “The Mousetrap” in 2007 and “Doubt” in 2008, had a two-fold job in her return to the company. Within “Noises Off” is a “dreadful sex comedy” called “Nothing On”; not only is Near directing an ensemble of actors, she’s directing an ensemble of actors playing actors, as well as a real-life director playing a director. How’s that for a meta-theatrical experience?

Act One of “Noises Off” is the dress rehearsal for “Nothing On.” Sharon Lockwood gives us a powerfully funny introduction to the play within a play. Lockwood, a theater veteran who appeared in the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire,” plays with great charm and fun an actor continually forgetting her cues and lines.

Brittany Ogle, who plays “dumb blonde” Brook Ashton, is funny — so funny, as I was repeatedly reminded by the gentleman next to me. Ogle’s comedic timing and artful approach to the role of an actor playing a not-so-good actor make for excellent theater.

A set designed to award-winning standards is immeasurably beneficial to a performance. In all the plays I’ve ever seen or been involved with, the “Noises Off” set surpasses them all. The two-level structure — four doors on the first floor and three on the second with stairs for the actors to go “upstairs” — is so carefully crafted and detailed, it simply looks real. And it is: The doors are real, and the lamps protruding from the walls actually produce light.

The play really gets going in Act Two, when we get to see the “backstage” drama. The two-level set is turned around, so that we get to see the backstage structure of the “Nothing On” set; the actors are now performing “Nothing On,” and we get to see what happens when they’re backstage.

Most of this act is silent and the actors must rely on the dance of body language and the pantomime of movement. It’s amazing how much “story” we get from this.

Gabriel Marin, who plays Garry Lejune, shines with his flawless approach to physical comedy. Especially fun is his “backstage romance” with Lockwood, and their nonstop harassment of each other.

Kevin Rolston, meanwhile, who plays Tim Allgood, could give classes on facial expressions. And CenterREP’s real-life artistic director, Michael Butler, plays Lloyd Dallas, the director of “Nothing On.” Butler has a blast in the role and is equally fun to watch. The ensemble, which includes Jennifer Erdmann (Belinda), Richard Farrell (Selsdon), Kendra Lee Oberhauser (Poppy) and Mark Anderson Phillips (Frederick), works together with ease, all with impeccable comedic timing.

Act Three, which takes place “on stage” later in the performance of “Nothing On,” keeps the laughter rolling. There is a joyful “scene change” surprise that I loved but that will remain top secret. See the show to find out what I mean.

At one point, the gentleman next to me quietly said, “I wonder how they remember all their lines.” And with British accents. And with cardio-based blocking. And each playing two characters.

Because, I thought to myself, these actors are absolute pros.

If You Go
“Noises Off” runs on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., and at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m., through May 1. On Saturday, May 1, there will be performances at 2:30 p.m. and at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36-$41. For more information, visit CenterRep.org or call 925-943-7469.