Never has a plate of sardines wreaked so much havoc. It’s just one of the props doing yeoman’s work alongside a delightfully engaged cast literally throwing themselves into Noises Off to open the Dallas Theater Center season.

While the first and third acts are hilarious, it’s the middle section of British playwright Michael Frayn’s backstage farce that makes it a classic. With the set rotated so the audience can see what’s going on behind the scenes during a beleaguered performance of the play-within-the-play Nothing’s On , Noises Off turns into an almost silent comedy of miscommunication and pratfalls.

The antics are fueled by romantic entanglements among cast and crew members of Nothing’s On and its shoddy production. On opening night Tuesday at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, th

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