Review - The Play That Goes Wrong at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

There is something so utterly wonderful about watching comedy live with a captive audience. As long as the material is funny.
The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong during a chaotic moment.The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong during a chaotic moment.
The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong during a chaotic moment.

And The Play That Goes Wrong which is performed this week at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre is so fantastically farcical, you find yourself laughing.

The set up, for anyone who doesn’t know, sees The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempt to stage the fictional murder mystery The Murder at Haversham Manor, essentially a thinly veiled parody of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap.

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But the humour comes from the incompetent members of the drama society who struggle with their lines, forget music cues and various props go missing.

Kazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes WrongKazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes Wrong
Kazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes Wrong

For to tell any of the broader jokes while the characters gamely carry on as disaster hits them would simply ruin it for anyone who has not come across.

I saw this earlier in the tour, just a day after the new cast has started in Northampton, and the actors, are clearly more comfortable with their roles and are even more polished. There are plenty of subtle little additions and imagine the talented cast will be embellishing the already very fine throughout the rest of the tour.

But the hysteria of the show was certainly seized upon and delivered back to the stage by a hungry audience who laughed and applauded. And probably the highest praise you can ever get is a standing ovation which was richly deserved for this masterpiece of comedy.

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The Play That Goes Wrong is to be performed at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until for Saturday. For tickets call the box office on 0844 871 7607 or click here.

Kazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes WrongKazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes Wrong
Kazeem Tosin Amore, Jake Curran and Benjamin McMahon in The Play That Goes Wrong

The show will also tour across a large part of this region. Dates and ticket details for selected dates are below:

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. Monday March 19 to Saturday March 24. 024 7655 3055 or www.belgrade.co.ukBirmingham Hippodrome. Tuesday March 27 to Saturday March 31. 0844 338 5000 or www.birminghamhippodrome.comMilton Keynes Theatre. Monday April 23 to Saturday April 28 or 0844 871 7652 or www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynesCambridge Arts Theatre. Monday May 28 to Saturday June 2 01223 503333 or www.cambridgeartstheatre.comCurve, Leicester. Monday September 3 to Saturday September 8 0116 242 3595 or www.curveonline.com