Theatre Review: The Play That Goes Wrong

(AD Event Invite* – 2022 Tour of The Play That Goes Wrong at The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham)

I love seeing a wonderful professional production. And “The Murder at Haversham Manor” is anything but. From start to set crashing finish, it is, quite simply, The Play That Goes Wrong.

In 2008 a group of drama graduates thought it would be hilariously funny to create a production about an am-dram theatre society who can’t quite seem to ever get a polished and flawless performance. Mischief Theatre was born, and A Play That Goes Wrong took the theatre world by storm. Mischief have gone on to produce subsequent hit shows, including The Comedy About A Bank Robber and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, but APTGW is unarguably their best work.

For the uninitiated, a group of professional performers play a group of amateur performers, playing characters in the opening night of a 1920’s murder mystery. From the moment you enter the auditorium you are immersed in last minute set adjustments. Are the backstage staff really still constructing the set just 10 minutes before curtain up? Has someone really lost a dog called Winston? Or is this all part of Cornley Polytechnic Dramatic Society’s haphazard approach to their productions? After all, they are under-rehearsed, performing on a truly precarious set, in what can only be described as a pretty terrible play called “The Murder At Haversham Manor”.

The Show Must Go On

The whole cast is brilliantly bonkers. Cornley’s director Chris Bean (Colin Burnicle, also playing Inspector Carter) is a man-on-the-edge. Burnicle plays him with escalating frustration – how can he work with these amateurs any longer? And that includes the audience.

Aisha Numan is a wonderfully over-the-top diva Sandra/Florence, and Max/Cecil/Arthur (Edi De Melo) is “that kid” from school plays that just wants to wave to his parents. Our dead body Jonathan/Charles (Steven Rostance) – and centre of our mystery – appears more often than you would expect. Trevor the fed-up, Duran Duran loving techie (brilliantly played by Birmingham School of Acting alumni Gabriel Paul) and shy stage manager Annie (Beth Lilly) unexpectedly get as much stage time as the inept cast. But this is a truly ensemble piece, and it would be unfair to single out a standout performer. Actually, not unfair; almost impossible.

Mischief’s cast are largely tasked with playing multiple roles each – sometimes unintentionally – in this play within a play. The talent and commitment required for this kind of physical comedy is immense. If one actor’s timing is slightly off then there’s a chance that something could genuinely go wrong. Not as though you’d know. Absolutely anything can happen when Cornley Polytechnic Dramatic Society are performing – and often does. Even the pre-show announcement that the performance would be delayed slightly was met by scoffs of incredulity by those that had seen the show before.

Behind the scenes – the real scenes – tour director Sean Turner and set designer Nigel Hook create the perfect production. To set – and reset – the elaborate staging for every performance must be a mammoth task in itself.

The audience lap up every disaster and malfunction with relish. Laughter rolls around the auditorium, and it doesn’t take long for the slightest thing to set everyone off again. I leave feeling exhausted, and with tummy ache from laughing so much. The show definitely has something for all ages to enjoy, from visual jokes to clever wordplay, and warm, funny performances with clearly defined characters.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen The Play That Goes Wrong, yet I can confirm it’s as funny the second time round. The script has been tweaked to include fresh dialogue, but the energy and perfectly choreographed chaos remain the same. It is still utterly calamitous. Each cast brings their own quirks and characteristics, and don’t try to be a carbon copy of the original – now legendary – ensemble. This global sensation shows no sign of stopping, from the pre-show audience participation to the finale that quite literally brings the roof down.

Seeing A Play That Goes Wrong in Newcastle or Manchester? You’re in for a treat as the original cast reprise their roles on the UK tour!

The Play That Goes Wrong plays at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre until Saturday 21st May before it continues on its UK tour. For tour dates and tickets, click here.

All production shots by Helen Snell