4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coaster sets stage for laughs
‘Noises Off’ spins comic
mayhem in Cannon Beach
from March 16 to April 21
By PATRICK WEBB
FOR COAST WEEKEND
N
o offense to the actors, but the star
of the show opening at the Coaster
Theatre Playhouse on Friday, March
16, may be the set.
Built by father-son team Jerry and Mick
Alderman, the cleverly designed revolving
scenery is the centerpiece of “Noises Off.”
The comedy by British playwright
Michael Frayn takes place backstage at a
theater. The actors are trying to stage a sex
farce called “Nothing On” — but there’s
comic mayhem when everything goes
wrong and their rivalries and foibles are
exposed.
Mick Alderman said he delighted at the
chance to direct the show. “I’m always up
for a challenge and every show has either
creative or technical challenges.”
The set demands two levels with eight
doors, two staircases and one window.
“It’s a challenge to do at the Coaster be-
cause it’s only 14 feet high and each level
must be 7 foot maximum,” he said. “I
came up with the concept, and we figured
it out.”
His father, Jerry Alderman, is known
for his firefighting leadership but has
significant construction and design expe-
rience. He first sketched the structure —
measured to the inch — on multiple pages
of penciled drawings. “He has the artistic
talent, I have to try to make it happen!”
Jerry Alderman said, laughing when asked
about working with his son.
Figuring out such things is not new. In
1998, a four-door sedan had to be turned
sideways when hauled into Astoria’s Per-
forming Arts Center for a Mick Alderman
show called “Road to Nowhere.”
The set for “Noises Off” is three sturdy
wooden pieces, all on wheels. With help
from the actors and stage crew, the center
pivots, so during the second of the three
acts the audience views a theatrical scene
as if from “backstage.”
The Aldermans began building two
months ago during breaks between re-
hearsals of another Coaster play, “Fit to
Kill.”
Continued on Page 12
PATRICK WEBB PHOTOS
Jerry Alderman and Mick Alderman, right, dis-
cuss the movement of the complex wooden set
they have built at the Coaster Theatre. It moves
on wheels, assisted by muscle from actors Wil-
liam Ham, Thomas Ryan and David Ridley.
“NOISES OFF”
A farce by Michael Frayn, directed
by Mick Alderman
Some adult themes
Coaster Theatre Playhouse, 108 N.
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays:
March 16-17, 23-24, 30-31, April 6-7,
13-14 and 20-21;
3 p.m. Sunday, March 25, and Sun-
day, April 8
Admission $20 or $25
Information at coastertheatre.com
Three actors playing burglars, left to right, Richard Bowman, Thomas Ryan and David Ridley,
cause consternation and some surprises in “Noises Off” at the Coaster Theatre.