Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at The Seattle Rep

Dear Readers, whether you want to admit it or not, we all love a little bit of schadenfreude to some extent.  That joy we take out of something going wrong for someone else.  And that’s where “The Play That Goes Wrong”, currently playing at the Seattle Rep, hits the sweet spot.  We can relish in the chaos while knowing it’s all supposed to happen.  Seattle audiences have been waiting for this one for a while with tours that were announced and then cancelled.  And while I know how amazing this show is from seeing the original London cast, this is now a local company and local cast, and it’s not an easy show to pull off.  But the Rep has always been up to the task for those tough shows, and I’m pleased to say, they nailed it!

The title pretty much tells it all.  The fictional Cornley Drama Society is here in Seattle to present to us “The Murder at Haversham Manor”.  But this little company has a history of failure, and this show is no difference.  The set is falling apart, the actors don’t know their lines or are just plain bad, and the cast keeps getting injured.  This gives the opportunity some of the best physical comedy I’ve seen from the Rep since “Boeing, Boeing”.  This is a slapstick farce at the highest level. 

Originally from London from the Mischief Theatre Company, the show was written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer who were also in the original cast.  The show began in 2012 in the West End (and is still running there) before moving to Broadway in 2017.  And ever since I saw it in New York in 2017 my fear was around a local company trying this and actually injuring an actor or even an audience member.  The set and the antics are so meticulously crafted that one misstep could result in killing someone.  Which is why I need to give huge kudos to director Dámaso Rodríguez, movement and fight director Brian Danner, and scenic designer Tom Buderwitz.  The insanity and chaos were at such a level I repeatedly heard gasps and screams in the house, and not just from me.  But all that insanity is so well done that I did not see any actual wounds on the cast.

And let’s talk about this amazing cast.  A super tight ensemble that sells an ensemble who should never be allowed on a stage.  Let’s just go in the order we meet these menaces to theater.  First, we had Cassi Q. Kohl and Chip Sherman as Annie and Trevor, our backstage crew frantically trying to get the set ready and keep the show moving.  Big fan of both of these folks from the other wonderful turns they’ve done around town, and they brought the house down, literally.  Special nod to Sherman who managed to bring a new version of the character than I had seen before to wonderful effect.  Darius Pierce is the company manager and also the inspector investigating the murder and is beautifully barely able to hold it together.  Ian Bond then enters as Jonathan aka the dead body.  He may be dead, but this brilliant physical comedian kept bringing the laughs throughout.  Setareki is Robert, a stalwart actor who, along with Pierce, pulled off the most dangerous and hilarious moment of the show wonderfully.  It all looks like it’s falling apart, but I assure you it’s not while in their capable hands.  Darragh Kennan brought in a killer Dennis, the actor playing the butler who just cannot get his lines right even though they’re written on his hand.  I’m familiar with Kennan from his dramatic turns around town and here he certainly shows off his comedic chops.  Ashley Song brings us Sandra, the overly dramatic ingénue, with grace and huge laughs.  And last but certainly not least, Chris Murray brought in my favorite of the show, Max the overly expressive actor whom I always referred to in my previous viewings as “the idiot”.  And Murray delightfully lived up to that with some deliciously hysterical moments. 

Whether you’ve been waiting to see this show forever or this is the first you’ve heard of it, this is a DO NOT MISS show.  It’s a constant laugh-fest, an uproarious spectacle, and just a beautiful show.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Seattle Rep a huge, loud, crashing WOW.  Well done on such a killer show without actually killing anyone.