In The Play that Goes Wrong, there are actually two plays that do so. One is an English mystery about a 20th century murder at a fictional Haversham Manor The other is the mystery play’s presentation by The West Palmetto Drama Society. What goes absolutely right is Florida Studio Theater’s production of both, in which everybody and everything that goes wrong come off to hilarious perfection.
Perfection is what might be expected of Shear Madness’s co-creator Bruce Jordan, not only director here and now but of various past FST comic and musical hits. Jordan has astutely cast both comedy-actors he’s known work well together and a few who’ve had valuable prior experience in the show. He’s been able not only to adapt it to local factors but also, in view of the pandemic, to bypass formerly encouraged physical interactions between cast and audience.
Probably what plagues the actors in the fictional play’s cast most are various changes in set and props. The typical farce doors number five (two more if a huge low-level window and a library wall that can swing around are added), the most important being crucially unable to either open or close. Props are misplaced or wrongly replaced. Supports like posts and poles don’t support. Being on edge describes characters’ physical as well as mental state. Etcetera.
As the West Palmetto Drama Society’s genial spokesman, play director, and apparently complete technical staff, Gil Brady clearly, if almost apologetically, explains the group’s status to us. He later turns up believable as a formal Inspector in the mystery play.
Next to appear is Emily Berman as Annie the Stage Manager, who must assure all that should be secure is nailed down. Soon she has to repeat and add on to those efforts. In one of the funniest turns, she’s knocked out, then further out a window and needs to come back as an actor in the mystery play.
Another one who should be working off-stage but has to come on is Freddie Lee Bennett’s Trevor. This person’s show of consternation onstage is even funnier than frequent ineptness as Light and Sound manager.
Timothy C. Goodwin seems a reserved Jonathan, which initially fits his role as corpse Charles Haversham. But his Charles is ever moving (really, not emotionally), whether it’s his hand out of the way of the other actors or eventually his whole body offstage, often standing behind a door that should be shut. Is he after flamboyant Sandra Wilkinson who plays Florence, Charles’s fiancé? How soon does the sexy Florence find another interest? And how will she and Annie get united?
John Long does a stellar job acting someone who wants to be a stellar actor in the mystery play as Florence’s brother. Jordan Ahnquist is another brother. But he commandingly takes on a double part as Cecil Haversham, flirting with Florence and the audience, and later acting believably (for the moments his costume and pasted-on sideburns hold on) as an elderly gardener.
Trying to find the murderer(s) and manage everyone in the mystery play as Perkins and interacting with fellow players as hard-working Dennis is Scott Cote. He succeeds wonderfully in every scene in both plays, despite the many doors’ and props’ lack of cooperation. His use of a stretcher for the corpses is a comic triumph.
All happens in a perfect set adapted by Isabel & Moriah Curey-Clay from the original design. April Andrew Carswell contributes different types of costumes, most of them appropriate to the mystery and able to take a lot of beating. The backstage costumes adapt well to being called onstage. FST’s light and sound systems, thanks to those responsible for them, have no trouble handling the significant changes called for by the script. There’s an onstage sword fight that manages to be both funny and—until the swords become changed—just a bit scary, which is some achievement.
To see everything in The Play that Goes Wrong go amazingly right at FST is great fun.
