Review: ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ gets the comedy right

1812 Productions’ The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy which opened Thursday at Plays and Players, is fraught with danger.

There is the danger of set pieces plummeting to the stage floor. There is the danger of swinging doors knocking characters senseless. There is the danger of stage props disappearing at the very moment they are needed.

But the greatest danger is the possibility of missing anything that is said or done onstage due to the tsunami of laughter that surrounds you as an audience member.

First, I must confess to some skepticism prior to seeing the show. 1812 rivals any regional company in the country when it comes to staging comedy. Their skill is matched by their innovation and originality. Why choose a show that has gone viral in the frequency with which it’s currently being presented, and which essentially relies on a one-joke theme?

The answer is simple. Under the razor-sharp direction of artistic director Jen Childs, a cast studded with Philadelphia all-stars turns the play into a vehicle showcasing its virtuosity and range. Colin McIlvaine contributes an intriguing scenic design filled with treacherous surprises.

The Play That Goes Wrong is based on a catastrophic performance of a play-within-a-play. The script is cleverly devised and the intersection between disjointed situations and dialogue is reliably amusing. But 1812′s rendition transcends the show’s inherent two-dimensional humor, thanks to a company of actors applying nuance to the broad performance style the show requires. The evening is a two-plus-hour demonstration of comic genius and a gift to Philly theater lovers.

Virtually every comedic device is employed in the show — wit, repetition, slapstick, malaprops, physical comedy, technical gags, and extended melodramatic death sequences. With how much fun the cast is obviously having, their ability to remain straight-faced is all the more impressive.

Singling out individual performances almost seems unfair given the strength of the ensemble. Much of the action is based on actors trying to stay in-character, while facing crises onstage. Justin Jain (Cecil/Arthur) is a standout, as he glories in breaking character to elicit audience approval. Scott Greer (Thomas) anchors the show, clinging to a farcical gravity while everything falls apart around him. The dexterity which he and Tony Lawton (Inspector Carter) demonstrate, while literally holding the set together atop a collapsing platform, leaves the audience with a challenging dilemma — to laugh or hold its breath.

At one point, Karen Peakes (Florence) stops the show by simply lying about her age, and her extrication through the upstage window is an outstanding bit of sustained physical work by her and the cast. Her face is unseen during the sequence, but the bit is a highlight of the show. Along similar lines, I can’t imagine an actor having a more enjoyable time playing a dead body than Ian Merrill Peakes (Charles), who bonded with the audience through his corpse persona.

In the end, the show is also a gift to the actors themselves. The action of the play gives them license to engage in the kind of overt stylization every actor loves to parody. And, given the opportunity, the most hilarious stories anyone who works in theater can share are invariably tales of unexpected screw-ups occurring during live performances with which they’ve been involved. This show allows a brilliant cast to share that experience in real time. Go and share the gift with them.

1812 Productions’ “The Play That Goes Wrong” runs through May 21 at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Place, Phila. Tickets start at $40. Information: 215.592.9560 or info@1812productions.org