‘Murder At Haversham Manor’ – The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre, London 28.09.2016

This play caught both mine and Grahams eye when it appeared on the 2015 Royal Variety Show, where they performed a short segment which had myself and surprisingly Graham laughing! So it was clear what was going to be my birthday theatre trip this year, because yes I am turning this into an tradition to see a show with Graham around or on my birthday!

We took to London on Wednesday evening, and after a nice meal, and a drink in the pub we headed to the Duchess Theatre to see Mischief Theatre ‘The Play That Goes Wrong.’ This would be my first time at this theatre so I was unsure where would be best to sit, I also didn’t want to spend too much as we had other things planned for the week. So where did I go to help me out, Seatplan.co.uk scanning the availability and the seats that had been reviewed on the Duchess Theatre’s page and with agreement of Graham within seconds I had purchased two tickets in the Dress Circle Row H seats 8 and 7 at the price of £22.50. What’s nice about this theatre, is it is one of the more intimate theatres, meaning that I believe anywhere that you sit you will have a view that is worth the money you have spent. I defiantly agreed with the reviews that helped me buy my tickets as you can tell from the photo I could see the full stage and faces were fully visible so don’t be put off by the cheaper tickets up above.

Now onto the show, Mischief theatre is a drama company that specialises with improvised theatre, formed in 2008 they have now gone on to produce and perform three shows on west end and on Tour, and winning best comedy awards around the clock. ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ was the first of those three, and performed in the method of play within a play it associates itself with an amateur drama society that has been asked to put on a play in the West End, we learn this from the Director/performer who tells the audience of their past productions ‘James and the Peach’ ‘Snow White and the Tall Broad Gentleman’, and ‘Jack and the Bean’ to name a few. Tonight they will be performing the play ‘Murder At Haversham Manor’ though tonight’s performance doesn’t go as well as it was planned/rehearsed as many things start to go wrong, from beginning to end, even when the audience are taking their seats the stage hands are asking if we have seen a dog, or if we have a dog, even if we could bark like a dog. When the actors are performing although they try to keep together the audience are laughing throughout, whether it be a wrong line, a fallen prop, or more extreme performers being knocked out, or walls/floors collapsing. You didn’t know what to expect next! However at times they may have over done a few parts (the fight between the two ladies) you felt that you were watching at times an episode of ‘Fawlty Towers’ at times, but it was very unique. The great thing about it was that the play reflects what could/can (maybe not to the extreme) go wrong with any show performing on the west end, which to me always makes theatre that different to the tv, as I always say each night there may be a different show performed from the last time you viewed and that could just be a small thing that may accidently go wrong, or a performer doing something different.

The performers of the nights were actors within actors so they were playing people who where playing parts in the show, or the stage hands, this is demonstrated by the programme as at the front it is the amateur’s programme, and to the back the Mischiefs Company for the play, so tonight’s cast were as follows:

Character (Part) – Actor

Chris Bean (Inspector Carter & Director) – Hayden Wood

Jonathan Harris (Charles Haversham) – Oliver Llewell-Yn-Jenkins)

Robert Grove (Thomas Collymoore) – Adam Byron

Sandra Wilkinson (Florence Colleymoore) – April Hughes

Max Bennett (Cecil Hasversham) – Daniel Miller

Dennis Tyde (Perkins) – Drew Dillon

Annie Twilloil (Stage Manager) – Joanne Ferguson

Trevor (Lighting and Sound Operator) – Fred Gray.

Stagehands – Lynsey Scott, George Haynes, Katy Daghorn, Adam Boakes.

You could not single any of these actors out if I tried, everyone of them had their challenges and although this play is run each night, you would think it was happening brand new each time the actor took the stage. Specials mentions due have to go to Daniel Miller who played the very likeable Max, new to the society and to the stage you could tell as he was very much happy to be on this stage and milked the applause as Max, when ever he broke the 4th wall to either smile, or wave he made me chuckle as we have all seen this at one point (even if it is normally by a 5 year old in a nativity play) . I was surprised that I had actually seen one actor before Drew Dillon, it was such a coincidence that I had actually saw him at the same time last year in WarHorse, but this time he was without a goose! Trevor was also a highlight played by Fred Gray, who was interacting with the audience from the beginning, but also brought a lot of the gags throughout the play, and being caught up in a few incidents himself, sometimes he reminded me of Graham, and how he would be in that situation.

They all worked so well with each other, and throughout you could tell that underneath the shock and mistakes they were lapping up the laughs from the audience, which made you know that they were enjoying what they were doing.

I don’t want to go into so much detail when it comes to this particular production, as it is defiantly one that you need to see for yourselves to understand the brilliance that it is, it was great to share it with Graham, and now I am intrigued to see the other two to see what else they can do, and how different they are from the original. I just hope that when you do see it you wont have a gentleman in the front of the stalls who laughs at the top of his lungs with such a distinctive laugh it become irritating. That being said anyone would love this show, and if you love the Fawlty Towers or in ways classic British comedy it is the play for you and for all ages! For tickets click Here for the West End, and also for the upcoming Tour so it may be coming close by for you to enjoy also.  You wont be disappointed!!