‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ – Conceived and written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. Directed by Tyler Rosati; Original Scenic Design by Peter Colao; Scenic Design by Danielle Ibrahim; Lighting Design by Katie Whittemore; Costume Design by E. Rosser; Sound Design by James Cannon. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main Street, Stoneham through April 19th
By Mike Hoban
One of the beautiful things about live theater, in addition to the communal experience, is that literally anything can happen onstage. Dropped lines, missing props, doors that won’t open, and, sadly, even accidents that injure the actors (as happened with “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” in New York). All of these mishaps and more – way more – occur in rapid-fire succession during Greater Boston Stage Company’s (GBSC) riotous production of The Play That Goes Wrong, which also serves as an homage to the “show must go on!” determination of community and fringe theater troupes.
First presented in a London pub by comedy troupe Mischief Theatre, the production is a perennial resident on the annual lists of most-produced plays, and with good reason – done right, it’s a crowd-pleasing entertainment that delivers consistent laughs and puts butts in the seats. Powered by a terrific comedic cast led by GBSC favorites Paul Melendy, Ceit Zweil, and Mark Linehan, it’s the perfect antidote to the feelings of impending doom generated by the daily firehose of unsettling news.
Following an introduction by the fictional community theater troupe’s leader, Chris (Melendy, who also plays Inspector Clark), that gently skewers community theater, the play opens with Charles Haversham (Stewart Evan Smith), struggling to play dead on the family’s parlor couch. It’s the evening of his engagement announcement to the lovely Florence Colleymoore (Sarah Gazdowicz), and his best friend and brother to Florence, Thomas Colleymoore (Linehan), and Perkins the butler (Sarah Morin), are trying unsuccessfully to enter the parlor after Haversham has failed to respond to their calls through the door. When they do finally find their way into the room (without the use of the door, no spoilers), they find that Haversham has been murdered! (cue emphatic light and sound effects).
That sets the stage for an evening of mishaps, sight gags, misplaced props, forgotten lines, and a faulty mantlepiece that may deserve an acting credit. The plot is actually a clever (albeit campy) send-up of murder mysteries, but it’s the physical stuff that really propels the comedy, and the strong cast is more than up to the task.
Zweil plays the company’s hapless stage manager with aplomb as she transforms from a harried fixer into a full-blown stage diva when the original Florence gets knocked unconscious and she steps into the role, script in hand. After years as a leading man in musicals, Linehan continues to impress as a comic force, particularly playing over-the-top high-status boobs like Colleymoore. Melendy continues to cement his reputation as one of Boston’s premier comic actors with his portrayal of Inspector Clark (although his increasing tendency to inject funny voices that are not consistent with the characters he’s playing could be reined in).
The supporting characters – Gazdowicz (in a welcome return to Boston stages) as Florence, Morin as Jenkins the butler, Smith as the “deceased” Haversham, Jeff Mahoney as the distracted stoner tech guy Trevor, and Liam Grimaldi as Max, the overacting community theater caricature Max playing Cecil Haversham/Arthur the Gardener all have impactful comic moments. In addition, there’s a bit of fourth wall crashing and improv, where the cast seems intent on cracking each other up, a la the old Carol Burnett Show (YouTube it, kids). Director Tyler Rosati deserves credit for keeping the chaos from going too far off the rails. Set designer Peter Colao (who also designed the set for Lyric Stage Company’s 2022 production of The Play That Goes Wrong) deserves kudos for creating a worthy representation of a community theater version of a “manor”, but he again deserves additional credit for designing a second floor that (safely)collapses on one side with the actors still on it, providing a legitimate sense of peril within the play.
The Play That Goes Wrong is a well-executed, check-your-brain-at-the-door farcical comedy that is a great way to forget about the outside world for a while. Laughter is the best medicine, and in these trying times, we could all use an outsized dose. For more information and tickets, go to: https://www.greaterbostonstage.org/
