The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is in the midst of a production of The Murder at Haversham Manor. But this is proving harder to do than one would think, as this is “The Play That Goes Wrong”!

~Review and Photos by Dana Nöllsch~

“The Play That Goes Wrong” The Story

The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, a small theater troupe, is in the midst of producing The Murder at Haversham Manor – a 1920s murder mystery, but as usual, things don’t go very well for them.

This is a play within a play of sorts, showing how the theater troupe is attempting to put all of the elements together for the murder mystery, but as we find out, those elements fall apart in spectacular ways.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a laugh riot. Seriously, I don’t think I ever laughed so much seeing a play before.

The murder mystery is a bit involved; you have a couple about to get married, but one is murdered, and the characters are trying to find out who did it. The murder mystery itself is a bit clever and entertaining. But the story keeps getting interrupted by things going wrong all around the actors.

This is a great example of stagecraft, as things fall from the walls, props fail to work the way they should, actors occasionally find themselves unconscious, and that is just scratching the surface.

The Play That Goes Wrong is truly hysterical. When we saw it, the audience could not stop laughing the entire time. What makes it even better is that the actors were having as much fun as the audience.

Here are some photos to give you a taste of “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

The Performances

The performances are top-notch, and that, combined with the cast having so much fun with it, makes for a very pleasant and hysterical two hours.

This is an ensemble cast that works well together, and they really have to because of so many things going on around them with the set. This is a very complex production, where the cast and crew have to work in unison so that nobody on stage truly gets hurt, and they do it brilliantly.

The Set

The set is very important in The Play That Goes Wrong, as it seems to be a character in itself. I do not want to give away too much, but I can tell you that you have to keep your eyes open for all the subtle and not-so-subtle things that happen to the set and in turn to the actors themselves.

The Bottom Line

If you are looking for nonstop laughs and entertainment, The Play That Goes Wrong is exactly what you are looking for. You will not be disappointed, and your face will hurt from laughing so much.

And that’s the bottom line

The Play That Goes Wrong