While goofy and hysterical on the surface, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ continues to be a stellar example of truly intelligent theatre.
Grounded with the very meta concept of a theatre group presenting a play, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ is dripping with delicious self-awareness and the energy of watching a ‘90s UK sitcom where we, the audience, are playing as much of a part as the actors on stage. The fourth wall – much like this murder mystery – has totally crumbled. . . Making this a remarkable feat of live theatre.
It’s a wild ride of prop mishaps, forgotten lines, cheap set pieces and slapstick physical comedy – the kind of night out that reminds you of the magic of live entertainment, leaving you with sore cheeks and a smile.
It all begins before the lights even go down as well. . . With crew members frantically rushing around the Athenaeum’s foyer trying to vacuum, set up the media wall, and prepare for the show, as ticket-holders duck and dodge around them.
The clever thing about ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ is the very idea of presenting a play within a play. The gags throughout are written to line up hilariously, and coincidentally, with the lines of the actual murder mystery being presented by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. This means that there can essentially be two punchlines at any given time – full credit must be paid, then, to writers Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer. No easy feat, and yet the final product is a rollicking success. It’s unbelievably slick while retaining a sense of utter chaos and unpredictability. Bravo.
Stephanie Astrid John’s Sandra is delightfully camp, with ridiculous leg pops and intentional over-acting by the bucketload. Tom Hayward’s bizarrely adorable Dennis, with his stiff upper lip, grey hair and comedically high-pitched voice, is a joy to behold.
Image © Jordan Munns
Sebastian Pitruzzello is another huge highlight as Max – who loves the thrill of a good audience reaction so much that he’ll break character, beaming with joy, just to take in some laughter and applause.
Edmund Eramiha’s Trevor, sitting at the tech booth for a majority of the show, provides an extra dimension of fun as he fumbles on lighting and sound cues, and eventually must step on to the stage to take on a role he’s very much not prepared for.
Speaking of not prepared, Olivia Charalambous is brilliant as Annie – a stagehand turned passionate actress who wants nothing more than the spotlight on her at all times. Her transition from ‘what am I doing here’ to ‘why would I want to be anywhere else’ is fantastic.
Joe Kosky is perhaps the king of the physical comedy here. . . Slipping, sliding, stretching and tumbling all while delivering lines with a brilliantly booming voice. Brodie Masini’s Jonathan has a running gag that TRULY never dies, while Jonathan Martin’s Chris just wants things to go swimmingly for cast and audience alike.
With the energy of a UK sitcom, the chaos of live theatre, and the edge of something genuinely intelligent, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ is in fact the worst play you’ll ever see. . . And it’s absolutely fantastic.
★★★★★
