Noises Off

This classic backstage British sex farce (written 25 years ago) features a huge two-story set with eight doors, and a story populated by a pretty girl (a bit short of brains) wearing nothing but underwear, an older woman having a fling, and a guy whose pants fall down. There’s abundant sexual innuendo, mostly physical. Playwright Michael Frayn also works in an older actor fond of liquor (there’s a running hide-the-bottle subplot), several plates of sardines, and tangled phone cords. This campus production, guided by veteran director Jules Aaron, is precisely staged—the whiskey bottle passes from hand to hand as a jealous boyfriend threatens a perceived rival with an axe, just as someone pops through a door and then slams it.
UC Davis Theater Department, 8 p.m. Thursday November 29, 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday November 30, 8 p.m. Saturday December 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday December 2; $10-$16. Main Theater (Wright Hall) on the UC Davis campus, (530) 754-2787, www.mondaviarts.org. Through December 2.