Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until 16 July 2022
Reviewed by Kirsty Thomson
5*****
The Play That Goes Wrong is a hilarious slapstick comedy performance about members of the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who put on a murder mystery performance of ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ where everything that could possibly go wrong, does. The comedy begins before the show even starts, with the stage management team from ‘Cornley Polytechnic’ running around the auditorium trying to find a lost dog needed for the show.
The ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ is chaotic from start to finish with arguments upon stage between the actors, the set falling apart and knocking people unconscious, props falling off the walls and having to be held up, lines being forgotten, and tech team members having to take over the roles of the unconscious.
Each character has their own very different personality when on stage with Max Bennett (Edi De Melo) being incredibly excited to be on the stage and turning to the audience to grin after every entrance and every round of applause. Dennis Tyde (Damien James) on the other hand is far stiffer and more focused, constantly checking his hand for line prompts only to mispronounce the words he is reading.
The acting and audience engagement must be applauded but the true entertainment of the show comes from the set. Nigel Hook has done a sensational job with the set design. Everything from picture frames falling off the walls, doors not opening when they should, and a full set collapse, with no injuries to the cast, was truly impressive.
For me personally, the play is very relatable as it homes in on common aspects of amateur theatre that often go wrong such as line prompts being needed and props not being in the correct place. This was overly emphasised by a hilarious scene that had to be repeated 5 times as lines were incorrectly repeated, leading the dialogue to go round in circles, while the actors became progressively more frustrated.
The audience did not stop laughing while the actors attempted to hold on to their catastrophe of a murder mystery. If you are a fan of slapstick and very physical comedy then this show will not disappoint.