Like the game of clue, you are kept wondering who did it, with what, and where, in Lamb’s Players Theatre’s new production “The Play That Goes Wrong.” From the opening scene, when an audience member is recruited to help secure a fireplace mantle with tape, to the final reckoning, when parts of the scenery fall to the stage, humor abounds and keeps the audience laughing throughout the entire show.
The 2012 British play-within-a-play, “Murder at Haversham Manor,” is a performance of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. Winning a Tony Award in the U.S., it had a Broadway run from 2015 to 2019, and is still a hit off-Broadway.
Imagine the Three Stooges join Kramer from Seinfeld for a slapstick murder mystery full of mishaps. It’s almost easier to count what goes right rather than what goes wrong in this humorous play geared for the entire family. Kudos to the entire cast for their hilarious theatrical antics, as they embrace multiple roles, which keeps the audience chuckling throughout the twist and turns of performance. The play was directed by Robert Smyth with Assistant Director and Fight and Movement Choreographer Jordan Miller, and it was no small feat to make this stunt-filled story come together in just the right way.
Set on a winter night in 1926, the plot begins at Haversham Manor, after the engagement party of Charles Haversham, played by Bryan Banville, and Florence, played by Rachel VanWormer. Banville does an excellent job, with subtle antics as he is sprawled dead — or is he? — on the chaise lounge. Inspector Carter, played by Brian Mackey, takes charge of the case, but is he who you think he is?
Vocabulary is not the strong suit of Perkins, the butler, played by Geno Carr, as he checks words like cyanide that he has written on his hand. There’s prop switching, a second floor hanging in the balance, brandy spitting, and rotating bookcases during the amusing spectacle. You’ll even hear music from 1980’s band Duran Duran, when crew member Trevor, played by Walter Murray, finally finds his lost CD set.
Other memorable characters include Charles’ brother Cecil, played by Spencer Gerber, who also takes on the role of Arthur the gardener. Both roles elicit laughter, whether as a philanderer or as he pretends to be a dog. Florence’s brother Thomas, played by Mike Sears, is a hoot as he and the cast go to extreme lengths to take phone calls from his accountant. You must see it to believe it!
Laughter is good for the soul, and this terrific cast delivers that in spades with this hilarious physical comedy.
The show runs through June 7. Tickets start at $48, with discounts available for seniors ages 66 and up, active-duty military, youth ages five through 17, and young adults, ages 18-34 in the free >35 club. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 pm, with 2 pm matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.
More information and tickets are available online at lambsplayers.org, at the Lamb’s Box Office (1142 Orange Ave.) open Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 6 pm, or by calling 619-437-6000.
