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Lancaster's Fulton Theatre's recent production of the British comedy,
The Play That Goes Wrong,
is,
in
fact,
an
oxymoron,
Because
while
the
premise
of
this
play
within
a
play
is
that
the
production
of
a
murder
mystery
by
troupe
of
hapless
actors
becomes
a
stage
disaster,
the
actual
Fulton
production
is
–
and
must
be
to
succeed
–
a
dazzling
display
of
talent
and
technique.
The
play
by
Henry
Lewis,
Henry
Shields,
and
Jonathan
Sayer
is
a
complex
master
class
in
comedy
that
has
the
audience
reeling
with
nonstop,
out
loud
laugher
for
two-and-one-half
hours.
Directed
with
genius
by
the
Fulton's
Executive
Artistic
Producer
Marc
Robin,
created
by
a
team
of
superb
technical
staff,
and
cast
with
an
ensemble
of
actors
whose
comedic
timing
and
technique
are
sheer
perfection,
this
show
provides
a
much-needed
escape
from
the
stresses
of
our
present
world.
The play showcases every type of comedy imaginable in rapid-fire
succession, leaving the actors – and often the audience – breathless with
laughter, surprise, and even a whiff of danger. There is a great deal of
physical comedy from sword play to pratfalls to mishaps with the scenery.
There are a number of elaborately choreographed scenes involving actors
and mishaps with props, including one show-stopping sequence in the
second act when a platform holding two actors appears to collapse. There
is also farce, of the revolving door variety, with entrances and exits
occurring in crazy succession, substitution of actors in roles, costume
malfunctions, sound cues gone awry, and general onstage mayhem. Then,
there is verbal comedy: individual sequences which rely on irony or rapid
-patterned dialogue such as the episode where a foursome of actors repeats
a section of dialogue over and over, giving each repetition a differently
nuanced reading, all intending to prompt a forgotten line response from
the butler. And, there is parody: delicious homages to sketches from
situation comedy like the Monty Python, the Carol Burnett show, or the
Marx Brothers, or even older vintage movies like those of Erroll Flynn and
Agatha Christie, as well as visual and verbal satiric nods to classics like Hamlet and Phantom of the Opera.
And so, to present a play that is ostensibly so bad, all the members of the
cast and creative team must be insanely good at their craft. Actors must
have the ability to play a character playing another character with split
-second perfect comedic timing. They must be agile enough to execute all
the physical stage business while delivering lines in perfect British dialect.
They must have the energy to keep this high-octane piece running with
uninterrupted precision and speed. And they must work well as an
ensemble because the execution of the various comic gags requires trust
and timing from both cast and crew.
The Play That Goes Wrong is also a very tricky piece to produce, and the
Fulton is one of the rare regional theatres with the means and physical
capabilities to succeed. The set and props, which are characters in and of
themselves, are visually lavish and beautiful to look at, but they hold a host
of surprises and throughout the course of the evening, they deconstruct
with alarming alacrity. Scenic Designer Czerton Lim and Props
Coordinators Katelin Walsko and Meg Valentine do a virtuoso job of
creating a stage environment that is filled with surprises – one that leaves
the audience frequently gasping or roaring with laughter – sometimes both
at once. Colin Riebel provides all the appropriate sound effects for a
murder mystery and a lighting design that aids in following the action.
Costume Designer Anthony Lascoskie, Jr. supplies the costumes that
effectively create the upperclass British milieu with their own little comic
twists. Katie Wilhelm, Cody Smith as Deck Stage Managers supervise a
masterful crew whose contribution to this show is enormous, while Stage
Manager Tim Markus keeps the innumerable moving parts all together
running smoothly.
Director Marc Robin, renowned for his work in musical comedy and
drama, proves himself to be a comedic genius as well. He applies his skills
as a choreographer to the work, setting each sequence as if it were a subtle
dance - both physical and verbal. The result is that the audience erupts in
applause repeatedly throughout the course of the play as actors deliver a
"routine" that then seamlessly segues into the next. Robin also excels at
helping his actors delineate character, so that each one gives a humorous
take on familiar figures: the inspector, the ingenue, the butler…. Moreover,
for this production, he has created a pre-show that involves actors and
crew moving among the audience in character and then onstage warming
up the audience with some gags that set the tone for the ensuing comedy.
The cast works as a fine-tuned ensemble. E. Faye Butler as the Stage
Manager, Annie knows how to work an audience, and, from the minute she
walks onto the stage in the pre-show, she has them in the palm of her
hand. Her stint replacing the ingenue lead Florence is deadpan funny, and
her interaction with Davon Williams as Trevor is priceless. Williams plays
a bumbling and mischievous crew member, Trevor, with delightful
abandon. Cameron Wright makes an onstage cameo appearance as a crew
member searching for Winston, the dog, as do Raymond Marc Dumont and
Bryant Martin in the pre-show.
As the presumed victim in the mystery, Charles Haversham, Nathaniel
Hackmann gives a wonderfully witty performance. He is amusing as
Jonathan, the dim and inept actor playing Charles, who cannot manage a
correct entrance and who refuses, as the corpse, to remain dead. Then he
rises to a humorously melodramatic soliloquy at the end in which he
parodies a classical actor surveying the wreckage in a Shakespearean
drama.
Kevin Early portrays Thomas Colleymore, Florence's controlling g brother,
with bravado, style, and the requisite straight-face. His sword fight with
Florence's lover is hilarious, and his scene grappling with tilting platforms
and rolling furniture is side-splittingly funny. Chuck Ragsgale romps
through the roles of Cecil Haversham, Charles' narcissistic brother and
Arthur the Gardener, played by the flamboyant character of Max. Brilliant
at physical comedy, Ragsdale's lithe antics keep the audience in stitches.
As Sandra playing Florence Colleymore, Lara Hayhurst makes her
character a seductive showgirl willfully grasping what she desires. With
the grace and skill of a dancer, she executes some of the most startling and
limber feats in the production.
Jonathan Arana as the Butler Perkins supplies a great many laughs with his
mispronunciations and missed cues, and is responsible for setting up many
of the comic situations.
As Chris Bean, the self-satisfied director of the Cornely Drama Society who
plays the pivotal role of Inspector Carter in the murder mystery, Curt Dale
Clark has a number of opportunities to take center stage – something he
does with tongue-in-cheek aplomb. His opening monologues at the
beginning of each act, delivered with impeccable accent and perfect mock
hauteur, establish both character and tone for what follows. His cleverly
limned portrait of the quintessential British inspector is all the funnier
when he is derailed by the onstage mishaps. The sequence in which he
unravels as he searches for the missing prop ledger and then recoups his
poise is riotously funny, as is the elaborately choreographed duet with
Early on the collapsing platform of Charles' study, where he gamely
demonstrates how to "take the stairs."
Understudies for this high energy show play small pre-show and backstage
roles with gleeful commitment: Sebastian Antonio, Bailey Blaise, Raymond
Marc Dumont, Ron King, Bryant Martin, Kelly J. Mazzella, and Mark
Tinkey.
The crew for Play That Goes Wrong is also integral to the success of the
show, managing all the carefully timed "accidents" and effects from
backstage: Dana Landis, Matty Vasquez, Tyler Horn, Chris Hoffman,
Griffin Allen, Karen Chack, Claire Molitoris, Tara Fontanes, Cameron
Wright, Deb Bielek, Liz Kershenbaum.
In 1900 the French philosopher Henri Bergson opined in his famous essay
on comedy that "Laughter appears to stand in need of an echo." To be
present in the Fulton theatre, in the dead of winter, after a long sojourn in
the world of the pandemic, what this critic heard was laughter and more
laughter and then some more…..a rippling echo of unfettered joy.
The Play That Goes Wrong ran at the Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, PA from
January 19-February 12, 2023
Photos courtesy Fulton Theatre, Kinectiv photographers
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