The Play That Goes Wrong,playing at Theatre Calgary until September 29^th, is one of the greatest comedic plays I’ve ever seen. Created by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company, the show debuted in London’s West End in 2012 and continues to this day. It opened in NYC in 2017. Having seen both productions, I was thrilled to see Theatre Calgary bringing the show to our city. The question is, does it measure up to the UK and Broadway versions?

Absolutely.

The production is being co-produced with Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre which ran in August, and Winnipeg’s Royal Manitoba Theatre in October. By combining resources, the large-scale set and big budget production is able to capture everything that has made the show so successful around the world.

The story is a play within a play. The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is putting on a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor –a 1920s murder mystery play. From the start things literally start falling apart. To say much more would involve spoilers, so just trust in that what unfolds is brilliantly hilarious. Seeing it for the third time, there were still little things that I caught for the first time, and also knowing some of what happens, anticipating the rest of the audience’s reaction is equally entertaining.

As a theatre kid whose acted in the past and loves live theatre, it’s also identifiable because every performer has had something go wrong, from tech difficulties to forgetting lines.

The show’s success lies in two things. First is Beyata Hackborn’s set, which is as much a character as the human actors. The lighting design of Kimberly Purtell and Dave Pierce’s sound design enhances the set and atmosphere. The second key is the ensemble cast. I am absolutely in awe of how physical the show is, and that the cast is doing this chaos 8 shows a week. The choreography has to be so perfect to be safe and look like it’s haphazard.

I don’t want to write much more, because going in blind is the best way to first experience The Play That Goes Wrong. Just go see it.

This show started a run of shows for Mischief as well as two seasons of a TV show that is well worth seeking out. With the success of The Play That Goes Wrong in these three cities, I hope that other Mischief shows like Peter Pan Goes Wrong, A Play About a Bank Robbery and Groan Ups may appear in future seasons.

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Theatre |