After its award wins during its West End run Mischief Theatre’s production was always going to draw a crowd when it came to Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre. You know when you’re at the theatre and as you grab your drinks from the foyer you notice a frantic man asking theatre-goers if you’ve seen his dog? No? Well up until this point, me neither. Before you even enter the auditorium one thing is very clear: anything goes. [caption id=“attachment_39350” align=“aligncenter” width=“655”]
Kazeem Tosin Amore as Robert, Steven Rostance as Jonathan, Elena Valentine as Sandra, Gabriel Paul as Trevor[/caption] The production itself is a play within a play - the audience are introduced to the production of a 1920s murder mystery ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ by the ‘renowned’ Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. It is a perfect parody of am-dram companies who perform up and down the country in village halls every night. What is intended to be a serious and prestigious production turns into every actor’s nightmare with hilarious ramifications leaving the Wyvern audience, myself included, in stitches - think ‘Allo ‘Allo meets Fawlty Towers which is then flung into the 21st Century. The Play That Goes Wrong is a perfect mix of slap-stick and farce. I thought Some Mothers Do ‘Av ‘Em was theatrical anarchy, but this was on another level - a level which structurally collapses through a series of unforeseen circumstances. [caption id=“attachment_39357” align=“aligncenter” width=“1078”]
Jake Curran as Chris, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Robert, Bobby Hirston as Max, Liam Horrigan Ensemble, Laura White Ensemble, Benjamin McMahon as Dennis, Catherine Dryden as Annie, Steven Rostance as Jonathan, Elena Valentine as Sandra - Photos by Robert Day[/caption] Imagine everything that could possibly go wrong during a performance – wardrobe malfunctions, cast reshuffles, prop misplacements – whilst watching a stage of actors cling desperately onto a ‘the show must go on’ mentality. The show did go on and I am delighted to advise that it is well worth everyone’s time – unmissable, comedy gold. Nothing was safe. If it could go wrong, it would. One of the stand-out performances for me was Bobby Hirston as Max/Cecil Haversham, giving an incredibly memorable portrayal as a somewhat dim-witted actor embodying a very upper-class member of society. Overacting tends to be a deal breaker of mine (there is a time and place) but Hirston in particular used it to his advantage - he never failed to keep the audience’s attention. [caption id=“attachment_39356” align=“aligncenter” width=“657”]
Benjamin McMahon as Dennis, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Robert - Photos by Robert Day[/caption] That being said in this production the whole cast were top bill - incorporating every meta, modern, and classical theatre trope in perfect unity with the sophisticated twists embedded within the script - and worked with and off each other splendidly. Further credit where it’s due, the writers - Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields - have outdone themselves. The script and cues (or lack thereof) are witty, awkward, and farcical. Combine the on point script with the perfect and impeccable timing from the cast, The Play That Goes Wrong is oddly flawless. [caption id=“attachment_39345” align=“aligncenter” width=“707”]
Catherine Dryden as Annie[/caption] The Play That Goes Wrong will be at Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre until Saturday June 16. If you’ve got some spare time The Ocelot insists you grab some tickets via www.swindontheatres.co.uk
