Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields’ hilarious play of mayhem, mishaps and a disastrous opening night for a company of hapless amateur actors opens the season for the Garfield Center for the Arts. The Play That Goes Wrong is the brainchild of London’s Mischief Theatre Company. Starting as a one-act play in a small theatre space in 2012, it gradually became reworked into a full length play before opening on London’s West End in 2014. Its huge success prompted other Mischief works around their usual theme - what can go wrong will go wrong - with Peter Pan Goes Wrong and TV’s The Goes Wrong Show.
The Play That Goes Wrong depicts a troupe of luckless actors trying to get through the opening night of their play, Murder at Haversham Manor, even as everything around them - the set, the lights, special effects, line deliveries, etc. - go awry in monumentally hysterical ways. And yet, these poor souls, ill-equipped as they are to appropriately deal with the mayhem, somehow press on in an attempt to get to the finish line. Characters are knocked out cold, crew members are pressed into understudy duties, props and furniture are forced to become something they’re not, and the set may or may not remain standing by the end of the performance. The Play That Goes Wrong opened on Broadway in 2017 and has been performed in over 35 countries across 6 continents, winning multiple Olivier, Tony and Drama Desk Awards.
The cast has had their work cut out for them, as the challenge is playing a character who is also playing a character in the play-within-the-play. Melissa McGlynn plays Tish, the acting troupe’s sound and lights technician (and reluctant understudy to their leading lady). Playing Chris, the Director of Murder at Haversham Manor who also plays Inspector Carter within it, is Patrick Pearce. Playing Annie, the troupe’s stage manager and also another reluctant understudy to the leading lady, is Adrienne Wrona. Zac Ryan plays Robert, whose role in Murder at Haversham Manor is Thomas. Shannon Whitaker plays Sandra, who plays Florence in Murder. J.W. Ruth plays Max, who plays Cecil in Murder. Playing Jonathan, whose role in Murder is as the deceased Charles Haversham, is Nic Carter. Bob Walton plays Dennis whose role in Murder is the Butler, Perkins. Rounding out the cast is the troupe’s “crew” who have way more on their hands both onstage and off than usual. Crew cast members are Jordan Dixon and Eddie Dorman.
Directing The Play That Goes Wrong is Garfield Center for the Arts’ Executive Director Steven Arnold. He also designed the set along with the GCA’s Technical Director Butch Clark. Butch Clark is also lighting designer and head of the construction crew, which includes Stu Gray and Jeff Russell. The Stage Manager is Allegra Fass. Costumes are by Barbi Bedell. The Sound Operator is Speedy Christopher. Props are overseen by Steven Arnold, Jennifer Kafka Smith and Allegra Fass. Beverly Hall Smith is the Scenic Painter, Jullie Gill is the dialect coach and Francoise Sullivan oversees marketing and the Playbill.
This hilarious comedy opens Friday, February 18th and runs weekends through March 6th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. For everyone’s protection, the Garfield Center’s mask requirement remains in place for all audience members, House volunteers and Concessions and Box Office volunteers. For tickets, you may purchase online at www.garfieldcenter.org or by calling the Box Office on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays, 10 AM to 3 PM, at 410-810-2060.
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