Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Lamb's Players Theatre

There’s a very particular kind of joy in watching something fall apart—especially when it’s this carefully orchestrated. “The Play That Goes Wrong”, now playing at Lamb’s Players Theatre through June 7th, is a high-octane exercise in theatrical catastrophe, where every missed cue, collapsing set piece, and mangled line is executed to make audiences laugh.

Think of it as a younger sibling to “Noises Off”: this production skips the slow burn of character-building and dives headfirst into disaster. The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has mounted a very serious 1920s murder mystery in the tradition of "The Mousetrap", and from the moment it begins, everything goes spectacularly wrong. Doors won’t cooperate, props vanish mid-scene, actors lose their place, and the set itself seems determined to sabotage the entire endeavor.

This is a farce with a muuurrrrderers! row of performers, and what makes it work is the ensemble’s commitment to “acting badly well.” The ensemble includes Brian Mackey, Mike Sears, Rachael VanWormer, Bryan Banville (who’s also the production’s fight captain), Caitie Grady, Geno Carr, Walter Murray, and Spencer Gerber. 

Every flubbed line and bungled entrance is intentional, requiring timing and control. The physical comedy is particularly strong, echoing the stylized chaos of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, with a touch of Mr. Bean’s oblivious persistence.

Grady has a funny arc as the stage manager, suddenly thrust into the spotlight, with a fun mix of delight and panic. VanWormer starts as a comedically flashy fiancée character, but escalates as she battles (literally) to reclaim her role after being sidelined.  Banville is the most animated corpse you’ll ever see, refusing to stay convincingly dead.  Carr’s butler is a nervous wreck, with lines scrawled on his hands and pronunciations that spiral into absurdity. Gerber leans into the vanity of an actor determined to wring applause from any role, while Sears and Mackey deliver some of the evening’s most impressive physical comedy as the set collapses around them. Murray provides a grounded counterpoint as Trevor, the unbothered tech operator, is more concerned with his Duran Duran Greatest Hits CD than with the unfolding disaster. 

The audience response at my performance was enthusiastic delight and laughter, with multiple applause breaks for the show’s intricate physical gags. At one point, audience members shouted out the location of a missing prop, which the Mackey seamlessly incorporated, fueling the laughter even further.

Behind the scenes, the technical work is just as impressive. Amanda Quivey’s set is engineered to fall apart on cue, along with  Jessica Couto’s resilient props design. Deborah Gilmour Smyth’s sound design punctuates every pratfall, while Tyler Olson’s lighting and Jemima Dutra’s costumes complete the world. 

Director Robert Smyth, alongside Assistant Director and Fight and Movement Choreographer Jordan Miller, ensures the mayhem remains controlled. To whoever decided Mike Sears needed a chest-buster moment, ala ALIENS, I salute you.

Stage manager Tyler Dean deserves enormous credit for keeping everything running exactly as it should—even when it appears to be going completely off the rails. 

It’s also worth celebrating the curtain call, which includes the crew taking bows—a joyful reminder of the many hands required to bring a production like this to life. Let’s normalize that.

This is broad, relentless comedy that occasionally veers into pantomime, and it may not be everyone’s taste. The play does exactly what its title promises, with precision, mischief, and an undeniable sense of fun.

How To Get Tickets

“The Play That Goes Wrong” is playing at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado through June 7th.  For ticket and showtime information, go to www.lambs.org 

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