Mischief Theatre has garnered quite a name for themselves
since their first West End performance of The
Play That Goes Wrong in 2014. They have since gone on to expand the idea of
mishaps on stage with many other successful productions. Although this was my
first time watching one of their plays live (I saw their television airing of Peter Pan Goes Wrong back in 2016), I had heard of this play long
ago and it had been on my ‘must view’ list for a few years. Tonight I finally
got to cross The Play That Goes Wrong off my list, and I do not regret a single minute of my time spent doing so.
Set in the style of a play-within-a-play, the Cornley
Polytechnic Drama Society are putting on an am-dram production of the 1920's
murder mystery; Murder at Haversham
Manor. But, as the play’s title suggests, the cast and crew must fight
against a number of mishaps, from broken hammers and faulty doors to naked
flames and unconscious actors, in order to prove the age old mantra of the
theatre, that the show really must go on; no matter what.
This really was an ensemble production, every actor and
every member of the crew must have worked in seamless unison to create such an
array of flawless faults in just two hours. It takes great skill to orchestrate
such excellent miss-timings and pull them off with such ease. The high energy
and dedication given by each and every actor was a joy; they really did
everything they could to bring as much laughter to the theatre as possible
(which I must say we were all in dire need of following our lack of trips to
the theatre in recent months). Such as Hughes’ Sandra, who was desperate for
the limelight or McMahon’s Dennis, who would constantly mispronounce words from
the ‘script’ or Babbage’s Max, who would share laughs with the audience and egg
us on with his cheeky glances.
The writers; Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields,
must also be held at high praise. This production catered to all areas of comedy,
from stand-up to clowning, from word-play to slapstick, and often many of these
were used in unison. A play evoking chaos must not have been created with ease.
This is a play that I am sure will stand the test of time and continue to have
audiences howling for decades to come.
Special mention must also go to Nigel Hook, the play’s set
designer. He successfully created a setting in which we were constantly shocked
at the unravelling of every element, from broken clocks to faulty mezzanines.
Not one item on that stage wasn’t squeezed for every comedic drop possible. And
every single element worked. No punchline fell flat on its face (unlike some of
the characters in the play). The set was clearly a high budget element of the
production, and rightly so. I imagine the opening night of the first production
back in 2013 was a little different in terms of set and props. But as Mischief
Theatre’s following has grown, so have their sets it would seem.
I have racked my brain in an attempt to find even the slightest negative criticism,
but have fallen short. The standing ovation that was given following the
play’s opening night was justly deserved. This humorous and heart-warming play
deserves to be seen. I urge you to spare two hours with Mischief Theatre,
and I am sure they will make your week. The Play That Goes Wrong? More like the
play that does everything right!
Reviewer - Megan Relph
on - 17.8.21
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