Storyhouse, Chester – until Saturday 3rd February 2018. Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
The Play That Goes Wrong is the perfect antidote to drab winter days. It has begun it’s 2018 tour of the country with Chester’s Storyhouse playing host as fifth venue for a long run that sees this wacky and extremely hilarious farce stop at no less than thirty four theatres, each no doubt will sell out as not only is it an award winning (from Fringe to Broadway) play but as I heard the audience around me talking we all enjoy watching TPTGW again and again.
This tour sees a new cast which if you read the headlines has been called brave, however each actor graces the stage as if they were handpicked for their role. I took my teenage son to watch after he enjoyed the televised Christmas performance of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, he said it was better than expected, an amazing play and his throat hurt from laughing so much. It’s a play that has no defining age limit, you want to laugh and forget that storm raging outside, this is the answer. The sell out audience is a far cry from the audience of just three who witnessed writers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields (who all trained at LAMDA) first production back in 2009 which came a whole year after they formed Mischief Theatre.
It was my first visit to Storyhouse (apart from the coffee I had previously enjoyed) and what a lovely intimate modern theatre venue it is. I initially felt dismayed at our seat choices, however we could quite easily lean forward to see parts of the stage that were slightly blocked without obstructing our fellow patrons views. Having seen TPTGW before, I was delighted in the differences a smaller venue brought, the fact that Trevor (Gabriel Paul) was sat opposite us meant we could see all his misdemeanors and his Duran Duran posters. My son was delighted as we’d found our way to our seats early (a neccessity for anyone watching as the play begins before the actual play begins upon stage) he received a thumbs up from Trevor. I’m now left wondering will they ever find poor Winston? From our view up in the circle, we were in stitches at the reaction to the squeaky toy and the poor woman who had a furry coat on, ripped from her, well just incase it was Winston. If your now questioning Winston, go along to find out, but remember everything is tongue in cheek and not to be taken seriously.
I love how versitile and potentially how easily it can be improvised, yet how practiced each and every character is. It’s a play within a play and as such be prepared for confusion, is this the characters name or the actors?. It begins with an introdution to the play we are are about to watch; Members of Cornley Polytechnics Drama Society, have followed on from many questionable and unsuccesful previous performances by writing, directing and staring in Murder at Haversham Manor. Led by Chris Bean (President of said mentioned society) who also graces the stage as Inspector Carter, portrayed by Jake Curran, his seriousness and dismay at those little issues that go wrong is just small change in the currency of laughter. Poor Charles Haversham (Steven Rostance) who is our so called murder victim or is he? Will he ever get his timing right and save the day? Squirm as his hand is stamped on more than once leading our corpse to yelp in pain. Perkins (Benjamin McMahon) with his poor line deliverance and mispronouciations. Overacting from Florence Colleymore (Elena Valentine) with her many ‘episodes’ and mishaps leading to stage hands Annie and Trevor filling in after she is laid unconscious. Thomas Colleymore (Kazeem Tosin Amore) who has to endure drinking another glass of a suspious liquid labelled white spirts, Cecil Haversham/Arthur (Bobby Hirston) and his dazzling star struck smile and as my son delighted in showing me his exagerated moves.
The whole audience watched and laughed in pure abandonment as the play and indeed the set fell apart quite literally in front of our eyes. I don’t think I could ever tire of watching TPTGW, it’s deliciously silly. Does not take itself seriously, knows it’s a comedy and does what it says on the tin. I can guarantee you will laugh, regardless of your city or your seat in the theatre. You will leave happy, perhaps a little damp from the tears of joy. No wonder it’s taken Broadway by storm and is currently playing in every continent except Antarctica. I’m off to nurse my aching sides whilst still chuckling to myself, ready to see the brighter lighter nights feeling perkier and with a spring in my step.