(Mthokozisi Zulu, Iain Robinson, Bryan Hiles
& Adam Dore. Pic by Val Adamson)
Hilarious
and chaotic fun with brilliant moments and the physical demands on the cast are
considerable. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Thanks
to Pieter Toerien for securing the rights for KickstArt to be able to present The Play That Goes Wrong in Durban and
for hiring the company his – as director Steven Stead descries it - “ingenious
and rather expensive set!” which is designed by Scene Visual Productions.
Ingenious
it certainly is and all kudos to the backstage crew – Clare Craighead, Chris
Randall and Erina Rautenbach as well as to Greg King and Wendy Henstock who
look after set refurbishment - for the huge amount of work that this production
entails. As the title suggests, it requires things that go wrong – doors don’t
open, floors tip, mantelpieces that refuse to stay up, a lift on its last legs
and a revolving bookcase which has a mind of its own.
Stead
has chosen a stellar cast to handle this hilarious, clever, jet-propelled chaos.
James Cuningham – good to see him back in Durban – astounds with his physical
ability, particularly in a hysterically funny sequence where he fights
furniture. Iain Robinson provides a terse calm in all the madness. Liesl Coppin
and Daisy Spencer prove their stamina and agility despite constantly being knocked
down. Michael Gritten is a highly amusing corpse. Bryan Hiles is a delight as
always. Greyed and ageing, Mthokozisi Zulu, is a suitably doddery butler and
Adam Dorè is casual and easy-going as the sound technician.
The Play That Goes Wrong is all about a play within a
play. Set in the 1920’s, it’s titled Murder
at Haversham Manor and is being presented by the Berea Amateur Dramatic
Society (BADS). The action takes place in the drawing room with its ornate
wallpaper and fittings including an intercom system between this room and a
study upstairs. This is where things get hectic because the “upstairs” is
simply a small area that takes up a corner. For the actors, this requires
nerves of steel!
It is
the evening of an engagement party. The happy – or as we discover, not-so-happy
- couple are Sandra (Coppin) and Charles (Gritten). The scene opens to reveal Charles
lying dead on the sofa. Thomas (Cuningham) who is Sandra’s brother, Perkins (Zulu)
and Cecil, Jonathan’s brother (Hiles), discuss possible causes of his demise
with Inspector Carter (Robinson).
The
dialogue is extremely funny with loads of melodramatic pauses. There is much
humour when the stage manager, Annie, (Spencer) and the technician, Trevor (Dorè)
have to take over from Sandra who has collapsed.
While
this play has a huge universal appeal, premiering in London in 2012 and going onto
win every major award on the London stage, anyone who is involved in stage work
will simply love it. Wearing my actress hat, we’ve all been through the terrors
of props not being in the right places or fellow cast members missing cues and
having to frantically make up some dialogue that makes sense until everything
gets back on the rails again. As Stead says: “It’s an actor’s nightmare.”
There
are some brilliant moments and the physical demands on the cast are
considerable. Crazy develops to insane then manic and absolute mayhem. This is
a real danger zone. If you think you’ve seen it all, stand by. The final moment
is mind-blowing!
The Play That Goes Wrong runs until April 29. Ticket R180
to R230. Shows are 19h30 nightly from Tuesday to Saturday, and 14h30 on Saturday,
and 16h00 on Sunday. Booking is at Computicket.
For
schools’ performances, charity fundraisers or block bookings of 50 or more,
contact KickstArt Theatre via email: kickstart@letni.co.za
– Caroline Smart
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