Our theatre reviewer, Hannah Hobson, shares her thoughts on The Play That Goes Wrong at Hull New Theatre.
Over the past few years the format of the Mischief Company’s plays has been raucous with disaster and this is the play that started it all. It’s been bringing laughter to the West End since 2014 and this is not its first time playing in Hull New Theatre. The Play That Goes Wrong, however, is just as raucous as it was on its first performance.
The risk with any farce is that the comedy becomes overwrought or repetitive but this is not a trap which The Play That Goes Wrong falls into. Nor is it the case that the TV shows or subsequent variations on The Play That Goes Wrong’s themes have overexposed the format. The writing (from Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields) is perfectly balanced, never pulling on the same joke even one beat too long. Even if you’ve seen the show before, I dare you not to laugh just as much on a second viewing. It is a piece of comic theatre, so well-harmonised it is a symphony of laughter.
Mischief are champions of stagecraft. They use the full scope of a theatre auditorium in a way few companies do. The cast are a true ensemble and Mark Bell’s direction is so exquisitely pitched. They are the masters of incredible stage stunts and prat falls. There is a remarkable skill in how every malfunction is timed, in the interactions with the audience and the delivery of every single fumbled line.
It is true that occasionally, the audience laughed so much that the dialogue could not be heard, though I think this is more of a compliment than a criticism. This is, however, one of the reasons The Play That Goes Wrong benefits so much from repeated viewing, it is so tightly written that there are always new jokes to mine and sight gags to spot.
All in all, The Play That Goes Wrong is uproariously funny. This ensemble brings a true joy to the form of farce. A theatrical satire in a similar vein to Noises Off, tightly written and excellently pitched. If you have seen it before there is still more fun to be had and if you haven’t, bring your best sense of humour and make sure you’re in your seat well before curtain up. It’s going to be a hilarious show.
[Hannah Hobson – Theatre reviewer]
