33 times?! How can you possibly see the same show 33 times and still enjoy it? Don’t you get bored?
Bored? How could I possibly get bored when this is the show that never fails to make me happy, to make me smile from ear to ear, cheer, whoop and holler, and laugh. It makes me laugh every single time.
This is The Play That Goes Wrong, my favourite, my comfort, my emotional support show, and I don’t care what people may think when I tell them how many times that I have seen it.
Created by Mischief Theatre, The Play That Goes Wrong celebrates its tenth anniversary at London’s Duchess Theatre this month and is now officially London’s longest running comedy. It introduces us to Cornley Drama Society as they attempt to stage a very serious murder mystery ‘The Murder at Haversham Manor’. But, of course, the title of the show says it all. Things do not go according to plan. Actors don’t know their lines, props keep going missing, the set has a mind of its own, there is injuries aplenty, and the techie would rather be anywhere else but here. This celebration of slapstick, wordplay and family friendly silliness continues to delight and thrill, not just in London but all over the world.
Since the show first opened back in 2014, 136 incredible performers have become residents of Haversham Manor, and each and every one of them have brought something unique to their roles. Yes, the cast board at each performance will say that they are playing the same characters, be that Chris, Sandra, Dennis, Max, Annie, Jonathan, Robert or Trevor, and of course, that is very true, but no two portrayals of these much-loved characters are the same. And that’s a part of the beauty of this show; each performer is given the freedom to explore the role, make it their own and ultimately have fun with the character. Even the understudies, or has they are known in the Mischief world, Thunderstudies, who will play the ASM/stagehand roles when they are not needed to cover a main role have an opportunity to make these characters their own in the now famous pre-show, interacting directly with the audience for some time before the show begins.
When you go and see a show, at least in my opinion, you want to see something that you can relate to, and I am a firm believer that The Play That Goes Wrong has that. Anyone who has ever dabbled in amateur dramatics will be, whilst maybe not to the extreme levels of Cornley, able to relate to the issues of forgotten lines and misplaced props, and maybe even sympathise with the frustrations of the director and cast members when things continually go wrong. And even if you’ve never actually been on stage yourself, you can look at each member of this drama society and see something familiar in them, a little element that makes you feel something and in the long run, makes you want to see them succeed even when you know from the start that they won’t. It is called The Play That Goes Wrong after all, so there isn’t much hope of it going right.
Chris Bean, the director, who also plays the role of Inspector Carter. He’s a very passionate man, determined and driven. That determination can see him, on occasion, lose his temper at his troublesome co-stars, he’s a perfectionist, and with this lot, perfection is the last thing he’s going to get. Some performers make him angrier than others, some roll their eyes, some death stare, some scream, shout or swish their coats, each as unique as the last.
Robert Grove, playing Thomas Colleymoore. The overly confident self-proclaimed lead actor, firm believer that no matter what he does off script, the audience won’t notice. Over the years, I have seen some iconic improvised moments from the actors in this role and these moments are always a hit with the audience.
Sandra Wilkinson playing Florence Colleymoore, the drama queen leading lady who simply loves the attention. She’s not afraid to put her fellow performers in their place if they are messing with her limelight, so you better watch out, especially you Max. Each Sandra performer gives her their own style, particularly in their interactions with both Max and Trevor.
Max Bennett, playing Cecil Haversham, is always a favourite with the audience, regardless of who is playing him. He’s hyperactive, excitable and approaches everything with a childlike sense of delight. Each performance of Max can be influenced by the audience, the more excited they are, the more excited Max can become and that is all a part of the fun. It is children who particularly love Max, and I have lost count of the number of times I have seen children trying to emulate each performer’s charades.
Jonathan Harris who plays the role of Charles Haversham, another perfectionist who really gets put through it. Throughout the show he has the audience in stitches with his actions and we find ourselves willing him on to finally get it right.
Dennis Tyde plays Perkins the Butler, and whilst he may quite often get his lines wrong and struggle over his stage directions, he tries his best and the audience just really want to see him succeed. Some performers make their Dennis’ completely clueless whilst others make him aware that what he is doing is wrong, but he does it anyway because it is what he has been told to do. Either way, we love it.
Trevor Watson, Cornley’s ever suffering techie. He signed up to do lighting and sound, but of course that is not all that he ends up doing. Anyone who has ever done Am Dram will know that feeling, why do one job when you could do everyone else’s as well. As a character who often interacts directly with the audience, each performer is given the freedom to play with it and it's just wonderful to see.
And finally, Annie Twilloil, the stage manager with the never-ending to-do list. She’s willing to do anything to get the show to the conclusion and we as an audience cheer her on through to the very end. This is such a fun character, and everyone loves her.
I am often asked what keeps me going back to The Play That Goes Wrong, and it’s a mixture of lots of different things. Firstly, I just adore the characters. Then I love how it is different every single time, with moments of improv and with each performer giving the characters their own unique spark. The preshow is a part of it all, and I always make sure that I am at the theatre early enough to be in my seat in time for it. Preshow sees the stagehands, Chris, Annie and Trevor interacting with the audience and it is something that makes Mischief’s Cornley shows (they do this at Peter Pan Goes Wrong too) utterly unique. And the people, oh the people, who are involved in this show. I have been lucky enough to see many of the incredible performers in this show over the years and they are all some of the most not only talented people you could hope to meet but also some of the kindest and most lovely. It is a complete honour to be such a super fan of this show because I can see how much the cast members appreciate the support, and they have gone out of their way to make me feel special time and time again.
For me, The Play That Goes Wrong feels like home, like a warm hug and every time I walk into the Duchess Theatre I get a sense of ‘Yes, I belong here’ and I can only hope that this production continues to run and run. Here’s to 10 more years, at least, please and thank you.
Comments