The Play that goes wrong
Theatre Royal
Brighton
You may have seen their rather splendid BBC iPlayer series or caught one of their unfolding disasters but tonight at the Theater Royal Brighton we got The Cornley Drama Society putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does! As the accident prone thesps battle on against all the odds to reach their final curtain call, hilarious results ensue, with awful acting, sets, plots, teckies and egos combining to bring this show down.
Building up into an entirely daft crescendo of madness the entire play, cast, set and night literally starts to fall apart. It’s done with such wit and well-rehearsed charm that it feels random and ad hoc. It’s a real testament to this tightly worked and skillfully directed group of actors who all work very hard to ensure the chaos on stage stays well within the boundaries of laughter.
It’s slapstick, done very well indeed, so has many parts which combine to reduce everyone into a state of injury, confusion, humiliation or just draw dropping awfulness. There’re some cute jokes worked into the script too, physical comedy and one or two sly ‘how did they do that’ bits, such as the Grandfather clock switceroo which just gives the audience a huge wink that these energetic fools really know what they’re doing.
The play that goes wrong does just that, in every which was bar one: it’s hugely entertaining. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard an audience howl with laughter for so long.
Did I find some of the door slamming, people getting knocked out, escalating levels of violence a little repetitive and dull? Yes I did, was I one of the few people caring about this narrative reiteration? Yes I was. Shut up Eric and get with the programme, it’s about silly and enjoyable, daft slapstick, high energy, in your face fun, and done with a sophisticated knowing wink. My companion laughed themselves breathless and left delighted. 
A superb night out, you certainly get what you pay for and it’s a lovely piece of crap playacting turned into something special. Add in some top-notch sarcastic improvising from a few members of the cast responding and delightfully dismissing attempted audience participation, and the general feeling of shabby madness that the collapsing set and wonky lighting adds to the night and you’ve got a fun night out.
Have a few glasses of wine, settle in, and let this crew of shambolic clowns do their darndest to delight you. If you’re looking for a fun night out you certainly can’t go wrong with this play which goes wrong.
Until Sat 20th November
For more info or to book tickets see the Theatre Royal website here:
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