The Play That Goes Wrong

On a Saturday afternoon of the 24th April, I had the deep misfortune of watching the Cornley Drama Society production of 'The Murder at Haversham Manor'. 

While I do admit the set design was above average for an amateur production, the sets inability to stay standing was well below average. Watching set designers having to duct tape set pieces together before the show was incredibly unprofessional. Not to mention the near-death experiences many of the actors faced throughout the show from either stupidity or clumsiness. 

It wasn't just the set that fell apart it was the actors themselves. One actor couldn't even remember his lines! He had to continuously refer to the writing on his hand which was fruitless as he ended up mispronouncing many of the words anyway. Don't even get me started on the so-call "dead body" who was on stage more than the missing dog that was meant to take part in the play. 

I should have just gone to see 'Frozen' across the road...

Hey guys...guess what...I'm being funny...I'm making a joke! 'The Murder at Haversham Manor' is actually a play within a play and that play is 'The Play That Goes Wrong'. 

'The Play That Goes Wrong' is about a local theatre company who finally got the budget to put on a big show. However, as the title suggests, a lot of things go horribly wrong. 

This show was hilarious. As someone who used to do drama at college and has taken part in local amateur dramatics plays, I thought the way the play was done was incredible. While you don't need to have a background in drama to enjoy it, it really reminded me of the mishaps that happen on stage or during rehearsal. It brought back lots of fun memories for me that way which was lovely. Each incident in the show got bigger and bigger and each funnier than the last. The set was almost an actor in its own right. I really in paid into the idea that we were really watching a show crumble before our eyes. 

I was really immersed from start to finish. Even before the play started and we were taking out seats, there were "stage-crew" working on the stage and the sound and lighting guy looking for the plays missing dog. Each actor was different and each were funny in their own way. I can remember each character vividly as each were so brilliantly written and with such unique personalities. 

From looking at the programme, I think we actually had about 4 or 5 understudies on that day and you wouldn't even notice. They were phenomenal. It's a show that truly makes you laugh out loud. It's immersive and so well thought out. I had wanted to see it for so long after seeing a scene of it performed on the Royal Variety show years ago. It didn't disappoint. It was funny from start to end and so clever and silly. I highly recommend. 

It was one of my goals this year to watch a live performance and I'm so glad I accomplished this goal by going to see this play. I have missed the theatre so much during the pandemic and there's just something so special about watching a performance live. There are so many I'm desperate to see now as I have my theatre bug back. 

Let me know in the comments if there are any plays or musicals you really want to see or if there are any you recommend?