By Cari Lynn Pace
San Francisco Playhouse brings the house down — literally and figuratively — with the hilarious comedy The Play That Goes Wrong.
Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer wrote this award-winning farce for the London stage before transferring to Broadway. Kudos to Director Susi Damilano for lending her sharp talents for comedy to this fast-paced farce.
The Play That Goes Wrong cleverly starts even before the lights go up with pre-show hijinks of an usher handing out incorrect programs to the audience. Offstage, the sound and tech guy (Tasi Alabastro) forgets to turn off his mike, and the stage manager (Renee Rogoff) tries to remedy faulty scenery before the curtain goes up. No such luck.
“ … Don’t miss this three-ring circus of comedic chaos …”
When the show-within-a-show actually begins, it’s an impressive setting for The Murder at the Haversham Manor, produced by a dedicated theatre troupe. The laughs tumble over one another when doors don’t open, props are misplaced, something falls off a wall, and a corpse can’t lie still when his hand is accidentally stepped on. Still, the amateur actors bravely soldier on, hoping to fulfill their roles and pull off a successful performance.
This troupe’s “Who done it?” mystery has the requisite characters: a murdered fiancé (Adam Griffith), his grandstanding brother (Joe Ayers), a drama queen fiancée (Erin Rose Solorio), her take-charge brother (Patrick Russell) and of course, the obsequious butler (Greg Ayers.) The final arrival is the hapless inspector (Phil Wong), who tries to put it all together. Each actor is so good at their roles that they make it easy to appear inept amidst the frantic antics.
Comedy is a highly skilled talent, and in The Play That Goes Wrong, everything goes absolutely right for the laughs. Don’t miss this three-ring circus of chaos, playing Tuesdays through Sundays through November 9, 2024. If this production has a credo, it should be “The show must go on!”
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ASR Writer & Editor Cari Lynn Pace is a voting member of SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and writes theatre and lifestyle reviews for the Marinscope Community Newspapers throughout Marin County. Contact: pace-koch@comcast.net
| Production | The Play That Went Wrong |
|---|---|
| Written by | Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer |
| Directed by | Susi Damilano |
| Producing Company | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Production Dates | Thru Nov 9th |
| Production Address | SF Playhouse 450 Post Street San Francisco, CA |
| Website | www.sfplayhouse.org |
| Telephone | (415) 677-9596 |
| Tickets | $35-$135 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.75/5 |
| Performance | 4.75/5 |
| Script | 4.75/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.75/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review Pick? | YES! |