Review: Lyric Theatre Gets Everything Right with THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

If you've ever been involved with, or even seen, a production in community theatre, you can relate to The Play that Goes Wrong. Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma presents this comedic farce now through April 23rd at their Lyric at the Plaza venue. One of the most crowd-pleasing forms of theatre is the farce. Physical comedy and antics bring us back to a simpler way of experiencing art. It's not deep or earth-shattering with its message, but it is meaningful. This production is particularly impressive in the technical and physical elements, and it's side-splitting with humor.

Another popular theatrical concept is the "play within a play". What that means is essentially the actors on stage are playing actors. The premise of The Play that Goes Wrong is complex but well executed under Director Ashley Wells. The play features a well-meaning troupe of theatre performers who are putting on a show to the actual audience in attendance. The fledgling company is earnest to a fault and works hard to keep the performance going, despite absolutely every mishap possible occurring throughout the night.

It may seem confusing at first, but you'll quickly learn by watching the cast of actual pros at work that they're in fact portraying some very ill-prepared and underfunded players. As Oklahoma City's finest and most favorite performers come out on stage and proceed to fumble their lines, stare out at the audience with opening night panic written all over their faces, slide around in their costume shoes, and miss cue after cue, you'll see that of course, this is all part of the gag.

Community theatre is no joke, and it's certainly not for the weak. The cast of the Cornley University Drama Society proves that they've got the chops to work with whatever the night throws at them, even as their best intentions come crashing down around them.

Only true professionals can pull off theatre this "bad", and Lyric has amassed the best of the best for the disaster unfolding on stage. As the night begins, the actors come out to fix various parts of the set that are falling off. There's not enough gaffer's tape in the world to keep the mantel upright, but it's 8 PM and alas, the show must go on.

The company then enters the stage in full, and they're a sight in their costume-ish getups. The show that the society is putting on is one called "Murder at Haversham Manor", and it must start with the dead body on stage. Unfortunately, the walking dead man misses his cue and must shuffle his way to his designated place to begin the show. It's all downhill from there as this company tries in vain to keep this trainwreck on track. If you think you've seen the craziest of what Lyric has to offer, just wait. This show is like nothing Lyric has ever done!

Emily Pace is Sandra, a wannabe professional actress. Sandra portrays Florence Colleymoore, the newly engaged fiancé to the recently murdered Charles. Sandra is doe-eyed and impressed with herself, and Pace is dynamic through and through. Pace is brave and brazen and holds nothing back. She employs a full range of physical comedy and knocks this performance out of the park, eliciting gasps and delight from the audience.

Grayson McMillian Fontana-Harless is Jonathan Harris, the actor portraying the deceased Charles. Jonathan misses his cue and sets the night off to a rocky start. Fontana-Harless has fun with the role and lets the laughs build as his antics increase.

Jason Bias plays Robert, who portrays Thomas Colleymore. Robert is persistent and serious, trying to keep the performance afloat despite the many holes in the ship. Bias is exuberant and robust, no doubt employing his most dramatic and theatric side.

Scott Guthrie plays Chris Bean, the actor portraying the Inspector. Chris is exasperated and overworked, a true community theatre technician. Guthrie keeps the audience in on the joke and fully embraces the escapades that are afoot.

Joseph Campbell is Max Bennett, who plays Cecil Harversham. Cecil is having an illicit affair with Ms. Colleymoore, and Max is having the most fun of them all. Campbell slips and slides around the stage, hits his head, and throws his body around with abandon. He's excellent at making it look like an accident, and it's a feat to make bad theatre look this good.

Ronn Burton is Dennis Tyde, the overwhelmed actor portraying the butler Perkins. Dennis just cannot remember his lines, and he relies on his "hand-written" notes and inventive pronunciations several times. Burton is brilliant in this role, and truly shines as the bumbling, anxious actor. Those who have seen Burton in previous shows know what a polished and solid performer he is, which makes his performance even more impressive.

The technical roles within the fictitious company poke fun of and celebrate the often-unappreciated job of backstage theatre tech. Alexi Smith is Trevor Watson, the lighting and sound designer of this dog and pony show. Poor Trevor is in over his head and has decided to just embrace the chaos. Smith is quick on his feet and smartly interacts with the cast. Ashley Mandanas is flat-out hilarious as Annie, the Stage Manager turned star of the show.

The entire cast has comedic timing down, and the tricks and turns would fall terribly flat without their crisply choreographed movements. This play could easily verge on "three stooges" type humor. While the lowbrow humor and sight gags are prevalent, it manages to stay above cheesy and ventures into smart, challenging, impressive theatre. It's hard work to make something fail so hard, and the technical elements are simply marvelous to behold.

Actual stage management by Grace Neal is expertly done, and the only onstage mishaps are the ones that are supposed to happen. Fight coordination by Kris Kuss is, as always, smooth, sleek and polished. Fabian Garcia's lighting design plays a part in the comedy and is brilliant as always.

It's refreshing to see Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, the official theatre of Oklahoma, with its titles and accolades lining the halls, not take itself so seriously. The Play That Goes Wrong is truly a love letter to this business we call show. It celebrates and pokes fun at all the things we go through as artists and patrons for something we love so much. Live theatre is a world of its own, and you don't have to be experienced in making it to appreciate this play. It's complex, yes. It's also wild and ridiculous and absurd throughout, but that smartly hidden message is clear. Laughter is always the cure for the aches in our hearts. The Play that Goes Wrong serves as a reminder to keep the humor and levity during life's most challenging moments, even if we're laughing at ourselves.

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