At the Garfield: “The Play That Goes Wrong” Fails Wonderfully

Not since the Globe Theatre burned down in 1613 due to an errant canon spark during Shakespeare’s Henry VIII has a stage endured more demolition than Garfield Center for the Art’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong. 

Of course, the damage in this play is all in good fun. In fact, the synchronized chaos of the play is the star of the show, and the stage design by GCA’s Executive Director Steven Arnold and Technical Director Butch Clark excels to “upstage” the actors as they flail through a murder investigation.

 

Live theatre is…well….live, and as we all know, life doesn’t always go as planned, but to make a play of orchestrated mayhem is another thing altogether and depends strictly on the agility and timing of the actors.  The Garfield Theatre’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong pulls it off with an agile ensemble cast who move the plot forward as best they can while the set—a 1920s British parlor complete with fainting couch—self-destructs around them. One character keeps getting knocked unconscious, actors get trapped in dialogue loops because someone forgets a line, telephone rings are miscued, doors won’t open, and there’s an elevator that has its own issues. I won’t disclose anymore.

 

Like Noises Off and the Canadian series Slings and Arrows,  The Play That Goes Wrong is about a wayward troupe of community theatre actors trying to solve a whodunnit—“Murder at Haversham Manor”—and of course, on opening night the lights come up on a dead body who can’t quite stay dead while set technicians buzz about the stage trying to  fix an uncooperative mantlepiece. And yes, there’s a butler, but this one has difficulty pronouncing words with more than three syllables. It’s a little like Clue if you threw away some of the game pieces and cards and didn’t care about solving the mystery because making up the game is fun enough. And this cast has fun. They don’t chew the scenery. They eat it as if it’s their last meal. And forget about the third wall, the actor’s bylaw to not let on that they are fictional characters. It’s gone. They play so widely that the audience is included in the joke and anticipate the next blunder with applause.

 

Play That Goes Wrong, written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields has enjoyed enormous international success. Opening on Broadway in 2017, it has won multiple Olivier, Tony, and Drama Desk Awards.

 

From The Garfield Center for the Arts Playbill:

“Melissa McGlynn plays Tish, the acting troupe’s sound and lights technician (and reluctant understudy to their leading lady). Playing Chris, the Director of “Murder at Haversham Manor” who also plays Inspector Carter within it, is Patrick Pearce. Playing Annie, the troupe’s stage manager and also another reluctant understudy to the leading lady, is Adrienne Wrona. Zac Ryan plays Robert, whose role in “Murder at Haversham Manor” is Thomas. Shannon Whitaker plays Sandra, who plays Florence in “Murder.” J.W. Ruth plays Max, who plays Cecil in “Murder.” Playing Jonathan, whose role in “Murder” is as the deceased Charles Haversham, is Nic Carter. Bob Walton plays Dennis whose role in “Murder” is the Butler, Perkins. Rounding out the cast is the troupe’s “crew” who have way more on their hands both onstage and off than usual. Crew cast members are Jordan Dixon and Eddie Dorman. Construction crew includes Stu Gray and Jeff Russell. The Stage Manager is Allegra Fass. Costumes are by Barbi Bedell. The Sound Operator is Speedy Christopher. Props are overseen by Steven Arnold, Jennifer Kafka Smith and Allegra Fass. Beverly Hall Smith is the Scenic Painter, Jullie Gill is the dialect coach and Francoise Sullivan oversees marketing and the Playbill.

 

With The Play That Goes Wrong, The Garfield Center for the Arts has once again delivered exceptional community theatre. Over their years of performing arts, GCA has set a high benchmark for the quality of their shows. The talent, timing and characterization these actors bring to the stage is as good at it gets.

 

You need to see this hilarious play and support one of the centerpieces of the Chestertown arts and entertainment scene. We’re lucky to have them.

 

The play runs weekends through March 6th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. For everyone’s protection, the Garfield Center’s mask requirement remains in place for all audience members, House volunteers and Concessions and Box Office volunteers. You may purchase your tickets online on our website (garfieldcenter.org) or by calling the Box Office on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays, 10 AM to 3 PM, at 410-810-2060.