Over the years I have become a bit of an expert on The Play that Goes Wrong. Pride and Prejudice and A Christmas Carol are the only straight plays I’ve seen more times than it since the pandemic and for the most part I always leave having had a good time. That said, the schtick is becoming wearing a bit thin. That is why I was nervous going into seeing it at Heritage Theatre and was so thrilled coming out of it having been so entertained. I didn’t know if such a small company could pull of this show and make it entertaining but in many ways they are tailor-made for it and all it has to offer. I really recommend seeing The Play that Goes Wrong at Heritage.

If you didn’t know The Play That Goes Wrong is a farce about a fictional theatre company, The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, and their disastrous staging of The Murder at Haversham Manor. During the mystery sets fall apart, actors are incapacitated (a few multiple times) and lighter fluid is ingested and spit-taked repeatedly. It’s absurd and can be very funny. What is most inspired about the production at Heritage is they use the smallness of their limitations to lean into the jokes even more than is on the page. So yes their second story platform is dinky and can’t pull off every gag but that in a way makes everything more funny. The play is after all is about a small company where everything goes wrong in their play. Heritage in its smallness can sell the jokes better than anywhere else I’ve seen!

Another factor where the smallness paid off in droves is being forced to have Trevor (Duncan Christensen), the sound technician on the stage with them instead of in the tech booth in the crowd. This adds to the technical and production based jokes. Director Jed Broberg and his set designer companion Dave Matthews seemingly have thought of everything to make the material work for the small space (where it didnt work very well at the theater-in-the-round space at West Valley this year.)

I have to hand it to the actors as well because they are fully committed to the comedy even being totally in on the physical demands of the gags. Ashley Dean Hansen as Sandra/Florence is particularly impressive as she is dragged through windows and plopped on to the floor multiple times. Chauntelle McAlhany is absolutely hilarious as Annie and her growing rivalry with Hansen is so much fun to watch. All the men are in top form including Alex Patterson as Dennis/Perkins. The scene where they keep recycling the same lines over again waiting for him to say the right ending line had me in stitches.

I am sure most of the people reading this review have seen this show before. It’s been done a lot but I’d encourage you to give Heritage’s version a shot. I truly found it quite illuminating and frankly one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in a long time. Tickets to Heritage are very affordable and it would be a good way to teach kids about comedy and have an enjoyable night out together. Also their Winston is adorable. You can’t go wrong with Heritage’s The Play that Goes Wrong! It is playing Sept 6th and tickets can be purchased here.

Also the audience was very responsive and interactive the night I attended. I wish every audience of theatre I sat with helped the performers as much as this one. It really adds to the experience!

The Play that Goes Wrong is written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company

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