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THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

★★★★★

Duchess Theatre

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THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at the Duchess Theatre

★★★★★

“May it enjoy 10 more years of destroyed sets and injured cast members!”

The Play That Goes Wrong celebrates its 10th anniversary this year making it the 28th longest-running show on the West End. Conceived by the Mischief Theatre Company, which has gone on to have numerous ‘Goes Wrong’ successes with their winning formula, The Play That Goes Wrong has been seen by just shy of 1,660,000 people since it first premiered on the West End stage in 2014. Though, it is perhaps more aptly to measure in disaster statistics – its 106 actors have been hit 125,000 times and the audience subjected to over 11,000 minutes of looped dialogue.

For those unaware of the smash hit, the play follows the plucky young members of The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they try to put on a performance of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery called The Murder at Haversham Manor. Whilst the group’s performance is introduced by the already exasperated Chris Bean (Daniel Fraser), the in-show Director-cum-Stage Designer-cum-Prop Maker-cum-Any other role that you can think of, we see the state management team frantically trying to repair the stage and find a dog that has run off. A clear sign of what mayhem is to come!

And the play’s name couldn’t be more apt – everything really does go wrong. From the set falling apart, actors being knocked out, injuries to all manner of body parts, looped dialogue, misused props, breaking the fourth wall, cast squabbles, and even drinking white spirit – the cast cannot catch a break! Much hilarity ensues however from the cast pressing on no matter what – never deterred, even when they may be gripping on for dear life to a slipping desk on a falling ledge.

The performance’s cast cannot be faulted – they all bring a great vibrancy and humour to their roles, both as the student actors and their Haversham Manor counterparts. Most notable are Daniel Anthony as the adorably stumbling butler Perkins and Jay Olpin as the over-enthusiastic Cecil Haversham who has the perfect cheeky grin and comic movements for the role.

As this was the 10th anniversary performance, the audience was also treated to cameos from some of the original cast members as well as writer Jonathan Sayer. There are also the characteristic fourth wall breaks such as Robert Grove as Thomas Colleymore (Owen Jenkins) questioning why anyone would have a Duran Duran CD in 2024.

The set is brilliantly constructed. Its fluidity is highly impressive – the audience is continually surprised by what can and cannot be moved. Pyrotechnics are also used for some added flare. There is a working lift (until it goes up in smoke) and two floors whose failings lead to some of the play’s funniest scenes.

There is some reliance on recurring bits that in a few instances get old. The various characters drafted in to play Lady of the Manor Florence Colleymore are all knocked out at least once and fight incessantly amongst each other. Characters never leave the stage quickly – always doing a slow turn to the audience before exiting. Some more variety here would be particularly welcome – it is hilarious when the deceased Charles Haversham (Alex Bird) attempts to drag himself offstage without the audience noticing. More audience participation would also be welcome – Fraser responds excellently to an audience member who shouts out a minor spoiler during the famous ledger scene: “Do you have any idea how important this night is!?” he cries.

There is no doubt as to why this play has had such longevity. The setting and its hammed-up characters are instantly recognisable – the conventions to be broken and exaggerated immediately apparent. The slapstick is Fawlty Towers-esque – the frustration of the cast’s keener thespians growing and growing as the play’s chaos continues to mount. The show is also a lot of fun – humour is derived from wit as much as a sudden violent clash – and the set and in-show stage management team add a further playfulness. This is a show unafraid to show the ridiculous and the absurd behind the scenes of putting on a performance, and the audience could not be more appreciative.

Whether you are a fan of slapstick or not, you cannot help but have fun at The Play That Goes Wrong. May it enjoy 10 more years of destroyed sets and injured cast members!


THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at the Duchess Theatre

Reviewed on 10th September 2024

by Flora Doble

Photography by Danny Kaan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More reviews from this month:

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE | ★★★ | CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE | September 2024
THE GATES OF KYIV | ★★★★ | THEATRE ROYAL WINDSOR | September 2024
BALLET NIGHTS 006: THE CADOGAN HALL CONCERT | ★★★★ | CADOGAN HALL | September 2024
AN INSPECTOR CALLS | ★★★★ | ALEXANDRA PALACE | September 2024
VITAMIN D | ★★★★ | SOHO THEATRE | September 2024
THE BAND BACK TOGETHER | ★★★★ | ARCOLA THEATRE | September 2024
THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE | ★★★ | UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE | September 2024
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING | ★★★★ | THE RED LION | September 2024
GUYS & DOLLS | ★★★★★ | BRIDGE THEATRE | September 2024
23.5 HOURS | ★★★ | PARK THEATRE | September 2024

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

 

DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME

★★★★

@SohoPlace

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DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME at @SohoPlace

★★★★

“Duncan-Brewster and Doherty are simply thrilling to watch”

“Closing Time” is the third instalment of the “Death of England” trilogy of plays by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams. It has been a month since the first two – “Michael” and “Delroy”. During these first two monologues we were introduced to two off stage characters: Michael’s sister, Carly; and Delroy’s mother, Denise. We feel we know them both already such was the dynamic story telling of the actors. The anticipation is high as we wait to meet them in the flesh. We are not disappointed. From the moment Denise (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) and Carly (Erin Doherty) explode onto the stage we know we are in for another high-octane, scatter-gun ninety minutes of thought-provoking drama.

This time, though, it moves a little too fast. We are given no room to breathe as the two monologues compete and merge, overlap and clash, like a frantic tarantella dance; both women looking to purge the poisons that seem to have inflicted themselves and those around them. They spit and they rant, never knowing whether to attack or embrace. They attract and repel each other in equal measure, but therein lies our reservations. We, too, are unsure how far to be drawn in. Although there is no fourth wall there is an invisible barrier that keeps us at arm’s length this time. Perhaps there is just too much ranting (the monarchy, racism, colonialism, cancel culture, white privilege) or the delivery is just simply too fast, but we are less moved by the end than we were by their predecessors.

Duncan-Brewster’s Denise is simply captivating, however, as the accomplished yet frustrated chef. On her way to her dream, she has been running a food business in the East End. But it is closing down – or rather being closed down. Helping her pack up is her ‘daughter-in-sin’, Carly. Doherty gives a fierce, fire-cracker performance, her character sweeping the stage like a tornado. There is no eye of the storm, and Carly has no eye on the consequences of her actions. Her rebellious energy is intricately misplaced, epitomised in a drunken outburst (hilarious, yet ideologically as unsound as you can get) that is captured on camera and sent viral. Our cancel culture is brutally examined as these ill-chosen words lead to the collapse of Denise’s business. The causes and effects are brilliantly and dramatically evoked as the two actors swing between blame, forgiveness, defiance and pleading.

Still present is Benjamin Grant’s and Pete Malkin’s powerful and atmospheric sound design with its orchestral stabs, muted underscoring and thrilling realism; complemented by Jackie Shemesh’s lighting with its staccato shifts in perfect rhythm to the dialogue. The leitmotifs are all there, but the familiarity now lends an air of predictability. Similarly, we also start to feel that the characters’ views belong more to the writers; an impression that was absent in the first two monologues. Yet, despite a creeping impartiality in the text, we ultimately feel the magnetism of, and empathise with, these two broken personalities who show us that reconciliation is never completely out of reach. Duncan-Brewster and Doherty are simply thrilling to watch.

A month ago, I wrote that plays like “Death of England” are what keep English theatre well and truly alive – beating in the heart of the West End like the vital organ it is. By the time we reach “Closing Time” the sentiment still holds true, if a little wavering by now. But any signs of arrhythmia are swiftly curtailed by the outstanding performances.

 


DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME at @SohoPlace

Reviewed on 28th August 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Helen Murray

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

DEATH OF ENGLAND: DELROY | ★★★★★ | July 2024
DEATH OF ENGLAND: MICHAEL | ★★★★★ | July 2024
THE LITTLE BIG THINGS | ★★★★ | September 2023
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN | ★★★★★ | May 2023

DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME

DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page