The Play That Goes Wrong, an Agatha Christie-esque slapstick spoof and meta-murder mystery on steroids, brought the Opera House down on opening night. The longest-running comedy in the West End, Mischief theatre company’s crowd-pleaser for all ages is on tour in Australia and New Zealand with a top-notch new Antipodean cast.
The show starts before the play begins with the backstage cast and director running around the auditorium looking for a missing dog meant to appear later in the show. An obliging spectator is ushered onto the stage to help hold the many bits of set falling off the walls and mantlepiece. The buzz and anticipation from the audience is palpable.
Channelling amateur theatre productions set in the 1920s, The Cornley Drama Society (which has laugh-out-loud historical casting problems that have radically influenced the titles of its shows) now almost feels confident enough to present The Murder at Haversham Manor.
The predictably familiar, well-oiled plot follows a murder in the country manor, a missing will, suspicious characters and a detective who tries to find the culprit. The play begins with Charles Haversham (Brodie Masini) caught in an ill-timed spotlight while still taking his place on stage as a murdered corpse. The early chuckles become belly laughs at his and the rest of the slickly bumbling characters’ antics and then spiral until the final curtain.
The body is discovered by Charles’ fiancée Florence Colleymore (Stephanie Astrid John), her brother Thomas Colleymore (Joe Kosky) and lover Cecil Haversham (a scene-stealing Sebastiano Pitruzzello). As ‘amateur actors’, every character deliciously hams up their eccentricities: Florence strikes affected model poses; Thomas exaggerates the persona of a country landowner; stage-struck Cecil plays to the audience, soaking up the applause; and Charles keeps getting caught on the run like a deer in headlights.
Lighting and sound operator Trevor (Edmund ‘Eds’ Eramiha) – who suspects someone in the audience has his ticket to a Duran Duran CD – and stage manager Annie (Olivia Charalambous) are dragged onto the stage to replace a character who is knocked unconscious. Witty Jonathan Martin in dual roles as the Director and Inspector Carter rounds out the excellent ensemble.
Becoming increasingly frazzled at his cast’s incompetence, the Director breaks the fourth wall to berate the audience, who lap up every moment and heckle back.
Tropes from whodunnit parodies set in old houses abound: the revolving booklined door to a secret passage, the hiding place in a grandfather clock, the clue in a handkerchief, the sword fight and fake snow made of torn white paper.
The physical and visual humour of the running gags, choreographed timing and energetic delivery is breathtaking. The set and staging, alongside technical control of the props and stage mechanics, lead to jaw-dropping effects.
Read: Theatre review: Super, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Play That Goes Wrong is eked to absolute silliness without losing control. Every gag increases the forward momentum. Everything that could possibly go wrong does – but does so consummately to create sheer fun. It is classic, old-fashioned, side-splitting theatre and great entertainment for the whole family. Even though (in-joke spoiler), ‘Tom Cruise won’t be appearing at this performance’, do not miss this play.
The Play That Goes Wrong, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Co-Writers: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields
Original Direction: Mark Bell
Associate Director: Anna Marshall
Original Set Design: Nigel Hook
Original Lighting Design: Ric Mountjoy
Resident Lighting Design: Jason Bovaird
Original Costume Design: Roberto Surace
Original Music: Rob Falconer
Original Sound Design: Andy Johnson
Original Fighting and Movement: David Hearn
Resident Director: Nick Purdie
Cast Olivia Charalambous, Edmund ‘Eds’ Eramiha, Tom Hayward, Stephanie Astrid John, Joe Kosky, Jonathan Martin, Brodie Masini, Sebastiano Pitruzzello, Jack Buchanan, Anthony Craig, Kira Josephson
Tickets: from $89
The Play That Goes Wrong will be performed until 3 August 2025 before touring nationally:
Gold Coast, 6 – 10 August; Toowoomba, 12 – 15 August; Newcastle, 19 – 31 Augus; Melbourne, 3 – 28 September; Port Macquarie, 23 – 25 October; Canberra, 29 October – 2 November; Perth, 7 – 16 November
