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Joseph McGrath, left, plays Father Flote, Patty Gallagher is Sonnerie, and Clark Ray is Brodin in "Red Noses." McGrath also directs.
james S. Wood / Arizona Daily Star
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'Red Noses'

Mocking authority, avoiding despair
By Kathleen Allen
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.21.2008
It's the mid-14th century and the Black Plague has people dropping like mesquite pods.
Naturally, there's fear and more fear rampant among the citizens of France.
Then the sweet old Father Flote comes up with a solution to combat all the depression and despair:
Laughter. God, he has decided, "wants red noses, not black death."
It's the premise of Peter Barnes' 1978 play, "Red Noses," and it's the next challenge for the gutsy Rogue Theatre Company.
If you think this a light "laugh and the world laughs with you" project, think again — remember, this is Rogue doing the production, a company committed to staging theater that makes you think.
"Barnes takes a close look at the church and its relationship to the state in that era, and authority," director Joseph McGrath said in a phone interview last week.
"And how laughter comes at the expense of authority, and weakens the grip of authority."
Oh, OK, it's funny, too.
"Barnes is dealing with farce, and something that looks like Monty Python, slammed up against issues that are as important as those you would encounter in a Shakespeare play," said McGrath. "It's pretty wild stuff."
Father Flote recruits a troupe of clowns who make merry with, at first, the church's consent. But it isn't long before the church's establishment decides that this group of red nosers is too independent and anti-establishment. The church no longer approves.
"Father Flote and his band of clowns encourage people to laugh, and to do so at the expense of the authorities," said McGrath. "It becomes a real threat to the church. It's an important message to laugh though your heart is breaking, but it also has deeper implications for the freedom from tyranny."
Though written in '78, "Red Noses" wasn't staged until 1985, when it won an Olivier, Britain's equivalent of the Tony, for best drama.
This is no small undertaking for Rogue — the play has 30 characters, which makes it almost unproducible these days. McGrath has cut it down so that it can be done with 18 actors. That's still a big, big number by today's theater standards — and made a bit harder for McGrath, who plays Father Flote at the same time that he's directing.
But the trade-off is a joy in staging such a compelling piece.
"We have such a good time with this many people in the room," said McGrath. "In spite of all the headaches — it's hard to get all these people together at the same time, because most people have day jobs — it's really worth it to get this much energy in the room and moving. And the play is so full of both humor and heart."
On top of that, the message is a straightforward one.
"We don't have to figure out a whole lot about what people are doing or saying," said McGrath. "The philosophy isn't hard to grapple with — it's really about authority and whether you have the right to tell me what to do. I think it'll be great fun to watch."
Preview
"Red Noses"
• Playwright: Peter Barnes.
• Produced by: The Rogue Theatre.
• Director: Joseph McGrath.
• When: Previews 7:30 p.m. Thursday; opens 7:30 p.m. next Friday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 13.
• Where: Zuzi's Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave. 
• Cost: $13 preview; $18 other performances. April 3 and 10 are "Pay What You Will" nights.
• Information: 551-2053 or visit www.TheRogueTheatre.org.
• Running time: 21/2 hours, with one intermission.
● Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128.
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