The Play That Goes Wrong

Reviewed by Katie Buenneke
Ahmanson Theatre
Through August 11

The Play That Goes Wrong is a British production at the Ahmanson Theatre by way of Broadway and, as the title would indicate, nearly everything goes wrong, as planned. The show is quite funny at times, with moments so hilarious you’ll laugh until you cry, but it’s too long and loses the comedic momentum it builds for itself.

Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, the characters in the play are members of the Cornley University Drama Society, a British troupe that has come to America to present The Murder at Havisham Manor. To call the aforementioned title a “play-within-a-play” would be a misnomer as, for all intents and purposes, it is the play — the play that goes wrong. Charles Haversham (Yaegel T. Welch) has been murdered, but has trouble staying dead. The actress playing his fiancée, Florence (Jamie Ann Romero), keeps getting knocked out, requiring the stage manager, Annie (Angela Grovey), to step into a role she doesn’t know. Charles’s brother, Max (Ned Noyes), is both a neophyte and showboat, while the servant at the manor, Perkins (Scott Cote), can’t remember his lines, and has all the five-dollar words written on his hand, leading to many-a-malapropism. Oh, and of course, the set is flimsy, leading to plenty of pratfalls. The overall effect is like watching professionals recreate one of the abysmal amateur productions you might have been in, in middle-school or church.

Act 1 starts off strong, with plenty of hysterical moments that combine physical comedy and dry British humor, which build on top of each other to reach a fever pitch. But the comedic highpoint of the show is about halfway through the first act, with plenty of plot left to go. It seems that the show would be better served by being streamlined into an 80-minute one-act rather than by its current two-act structure, which clocks in around two hours. As it’s currently designed, the play seems to let the air out of the theater over intermission. In comedy at least, better to leave the audience wanting more than wishing they’d had less.

It takes a lot of work to convey a play that goes so wrong, and the cast is in top form, not letting any of that work show in their performances. Noyes is particularly amusing, with his little waves to the audience, like a third grader in his first school pageant. At times, his showboating wears thin, but that might well be more a consequence of the direction and pacing than the performance. Brandon J. Ellis is also quite amusing as the lighting and sound operator, wearing a cloak of insouciance familiar to anyone who’s been on or worked with a stage crew.

Andrew Johnson’s set is a marvel, always on the precipice of falling down in every conceivable manner, but not in a way that causes genuine concern from the audience. It’s like the circus — you know it’s dangerous up there for that trapeze artist, but you also know it’s all been well-rehearsed, and there are mechanisms in place should something go wrong, so your brain allows you to be concerned for the character’s safety without worrying about the performer.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A.—Civic Center; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; through Aug. 11. (213) 628-2772 or https://CenterTheatreGroup.org. Running time: two hours, including an intermission.