New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 9 October 2021
Reviewed by Becky Doyle
3***
Never have I ever seen so many people looking for a black French bulldog, or a Duran Duran CD in the middle of Woking, let alone in the theatre. From the moment that this play set off I knew that we were going to be in for a giggle! As the name suggest EVERYTHING went wrong for the cast of “Murder at Haversham Manor” HOWEVER, that subsequently meant that everything was perfectly right for the cast of “The Play That Goes Wrong”.
Tom Babbage had the audience in stitches with his theatrical explanation of the story line and his characteristic approach to a non existent small but vicious dog. He was by far the highlight of the show for me. That doesn’t take anything away from any of the other actors as each in their own right had the audience on the edge of their seats, with tears from laughter in their eyes making people question “who’d done it”
The set also was highly impressive with varying moving parts, falling floors, collapsing walls and a grand father clock that hid a variety of characters during some tricky moments all contributed to the fun of the show with the snow outside and the fire in there were so many clever interactions with the audience. Including a “OH NO HE DIDN’T” moment that really did feel like it was an in the moment action and result of a Tom Bulpett’s quick thinking and actions that made the play all the more fun.
The reason for my mid level rating is because although funny and very slap stick, I think it lacked depth to the story and I found that after a while the incidents and jokes were predictable and less imaginative. This doesn’t however take away from the fact that the actors and actresses in this show were fantastic and if you want a good belly laugh, this is one to add to the wish list.