Review: Laughs Fly High in PETER PAN GOES WRONG at La Mirada

Now presenting an even more over-the-top follow up compared to their first go-round in THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG staged here last February, the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment revisit the earnestly bumbling folks at the fictional Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society for yet another madcap, mishap-laden production of intense British-style slapstick and comical chaotic shenanigans in its high-flying 2013 "sequel" PETER PAN GOES WRONG which will continue to crack up audiences in the City of La Mirada through November 23, 2025.

Amping up the laughs even more this time around, La Mirada's so-good-it-hurts production—once again helmed by THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG director Eric Petersen—offers another two acts of side-splitting, non-stop silliness, but this time joined by McCoy Rigby Entertainment's very own Cathy Rigby serving mainly as its cheeky "narrator" (yes, that Cathy Rigby—the former Olympic gymnast who later played the title role in multiple productions of PETER PAN for more than 3,000 performances). Though she is indeed the marquee name on the roster, her comedically-gifted co-stars do manage to steal the spotlight, collectively putting on one of the funniest, most satisfyingly silly gag-a-minute comedies you'll see on stage this season. 

Seriously, I cannot recall a moment during this funny AF play when I wasn't laughing or smiling. What a wonderful feeling to experience these days!

Just like its predecessor, PETER PAN GOES WRONG—written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields via their Mischief Theatre Company—continues the farcical, physical comedy precedents (and then some) established in the original THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG in which, as expected, nothing goes to plan and everything erupts into hysterical chaos. This time around the fictional amateur theater troupe—an homage to the idea of enthusiasm outweighing the importance of skill—is attempting to stage their own earnest (but hilariously mishandled) stage production of J.M. Barrie's beloved classic Peter Pan, the infamous story of that flying little mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, but chooses instead to live in the enchanted Never Never Land with his fellow "lost boys" and a magical fairy that farts pixie dust.

Amusingly, as the title clearly suggests, everything that could possibly go wrong absolutely does: sets collapse, lights crash, props malfunction, cues are missed, costumes unravel, and even wrong (sometimes accidentally revelatory) audio clips are played. Meanwhile, the often surprised actors forget their lines, see their personal lives shattered, or, worse, they get severely injured, forcing last minute substitutes from the backstage crew to step in and take over. 

From start to finish, the show is a dizzying whirlwind of seemingly non-stop slapstick chaos that doesn't relent. Yet, amid the calamities and obstacles, the cast bravely (but disastrously) try to soldier on with the performance—injuries or narrative continuity be damned. They definitely follow the motto "the show must go on" to its highest limits.

Alas, a series of disasters by them means a lot of hearty, euphoric laughs for us—which you sometimes feel sorta bad for since the Cornley troupe genuinely believes their version of Peter Pan to be their "most ambitious production yet." Oops.

But… nah… the schadenfreude is too fun to resist.

As the familiar story of Peter Pan unfolds, on-going technical difficulties escalate: wires used for flying snap, set pieces are knocked over and fall apart, lighting cues go awry, and the actors' personal squabbles spill into their performances for all to see and observe. The juicy backstage drama—romantic jealousies, ego clashes, and power struggles—intertwines with the onstage mayhem, creating layers of uproarious comedy that poke light-hearted fun at both the art of theatre-making and the, when you think about it, oddly eccentric story of Peter Pan itself (dogs as nursemaids, a runaway shadow, and a crocodile ravenous for a Pirate?!). 

By the end, the stage is an absolute mess, the actors are frazzled, and the audience is left howling with communal laughter at the sheer absurdity of everything we just experienced. The climatic symphony of the set's turntable is absolutely bonkers—and the audience is overwhelmed and doubled over with laughter.

But what makes La Mirada's production so uniquely funnier, I'd like to think, than its original British roots is its seemingly improvised local-referenced additions, inserted generously throughout the play to make sure that local SoCal audiences are also in on the joke(s). For the play's opening night performance, for instance, much of the room was also palpably preoccupied with the fact that the play is happening at the same time as the pivotal Game 7 of the World Series, where the L.A. Dodgers were facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays. Throughout the night, characters/actors in the play would occasionally insert an update on where the game stood, adding extra excitement and winking hilarity to an already rousing evening. 

And, of course, Rigby's presence, too, is mined for meta laughs, referencing her time portraying Peter Pan several times during the show—from her live demo of her flexible dexterity maneuvering her 72-year-old body (!) through a tiny opening on her narrator's throne to the (SPOILER ALERT) finalé surprise of having her fly above the audience at break-neck speed. 

At one point she's even openly asked to regale the audience with a funny anecdote about her time on the original stage show as a "distraction" for the audience as pretend EMTs come in behind her to "take care" of the injured actors. The play is so much more self-referential and audience-winking than ever before and the audience is here for it.

The community theater-esque set itself—featuring several rooms divided amongst a rotating carousel designed by Stephen Gifford—is a technical marvel of precisely choreographed calamities, with one timely mishap after another, complemented wonderfully by the gag props designed by Kevin Williams, Eric S. Elias' pyrotechnics, Adam Ramirez's colorful costumes, and Kaitlen Yagen's hair, makeup, and wig design. Lighting designer Steven Young perfectly accentuates scenes to make the comedy pop. And although they're meant to be rather perilous in their wild unpredictability, the flying sequences choreographed by Paul Rubin still manage to excite and thrill in their gravity-defying wonder.

Aside from the technical wonder that is on display on stage through all that well-timed chaos, the show's ensemble players truly are the stars of the show, fumbling and (over)acting their way to keep the show going despite multiple setbacks. It takes great teamwork to get all of these moving (er, falling) pieces to work harmoniously, and this cast is just comedically superb.

It's great to see returning players Trent Mills, Regina Fernandez, and comedy genius Reggie De Leon reprise their actor roles as Robert, Sandra, and Dennis respectively from La Mirada's earlier production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. This time around De Leon earns even louder laughs wearing a gigantic headset from which his lines are fed to him that he repeats verbatim (as opposed to having his lines hidden in strategic places he reads from during the first play). Mills is having such hammy fun throughout, and is especially terrific during his sequences as Peter's Shadow, writhing and towering over Steven Booth's amusingly angsty Jonathan, who plays Peter in the play-within-a-play. Mills also takes a turn as Nana the Dog that finds him mostly stuck on the nursery doggy door. Fernandez's Sandra is once again the object of many affections playing Wendy in Cornley's Peter Pan, once again trying to keep it together lest she suffer a repeat of what happened to her during the events of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG.

The remaining members of the cast bring fresh energy to the …GOES WRONG continuity. I really enjoyed the 180-degree turnabout that the adorkable Nick Apostolina conveys as handsome dim bulb-turned-incredible thespian Max who, this time, has been tasked to play Michael Darling and the Crocodile (at least initially) in Peter Pan. The expressive Josh Grisetti is clearly having lots of fun playing uppity lead actor Chris who assigned himself the demanding roles of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Ixchel Valiente, Louis Pardo, and Jamie Morgan provide valiant assists throughout in various roles both behind the scenes and, reluctantly later, within Peter Pan itself.

Finally, there's scene-stealing Nicole Parker, former Broadway Elphaba and funny cast member of MadTV who is insanely funny in her scenes juggling the roles of both Lisa the Maid and Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan (a switcheroo both Lucille Ball and John Ritter would be proud of) and later kills—and almost dies—as the hilariously spunky Tinker Bell, which, I admit, made me giddy each time.

And, of course, Ms. Rigby shines most of all as the show's feisty narrator (and, later, surprises as one of Captain Hook's, um, obscure henchmen Cecco), gamely taking on lots of physical gags and inside jokes while trying to tell us the story of the flying boy. 

Overall, this breathless marathon of silly sight gags and universally funny situations make the play such a fun show to experience live—a masterclass in physical/farcical comedy that draws from a long lineage of slapstick humor while cleverly using the conventions of live theatre—missed cues, breaking the fourth wall, audience interaction—to heighten the exaggerated absurdity. The manufactured "chaos" that ensues is meticulously choreographed despite appearing spontaneous. It is just so remarkable how everything is actually tightly scripted and timed to precision. I appreciated even some of the more deep cut comedy lines inserted into the dialogue, proving that it's not all just easy laughs being mined here. 

Beyond all the pratfalls and crazy pandemonium lies a genuine affection for storytelling, live performance, and the courage it takes to keep going when everything falls apart—literally and figuratively. It's not just about a play going wrong, it's also about the enduring, chaotic magic you can only get from experiencing live theater.

If this superb production's aim is to be an even funnier, more outrageous "sequel," then PETER PAN GOES WRONG certainly fits that bill.

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Photos by Jason Niedle / TETHOS courtesy of La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Performances of the McCoy-Rigby Entertainment production of PETER PAN GOES WRONG at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts continue through Sunday, November 23, 2025. The theater is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in the city of La Mirada, CA. Parking is Free. For tickets, visit LaMiradaTheatre.com or call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.

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