Play Review: The Play that Goes Wrong is a wonderful disaster on stage
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ESCANABA -- Finding my seat in the Bonifas theater, awaiting the start of Players de Noc's latest production, I found myself crossing and uncrossing my legs, looking up the aisle and down at my program. Seasoned director Jeff Woerpel was in a seat nearby giving instructions sotto voce and I saw Jenny Heller, production stage manager crossing stage left urgently with all of the warning signs of intervention that I recognize from my own experience working backstage. My palms began to sweat.
I was relieved to see Jon Flath approach the front, a man whose charisma immediately suffuses the room, but even he looked nervous.
Of course, this is when I realized I was being played.
As the name suggests, The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields is a disaster. This is true from the first shaky spotlight to the final "ahah" of the whodunnit mystery of the show-within-the-show. It is a delicious, painful, escalating disaster that combines an extraordinary technical set with masterful acting. If it weren't for the familiar faces onstage, I might have actually fled the theater. Instead, I let myself get swept away by good actors acting badly.
Charles Haversham is the first to die, and it is a pleasure to see Jon Johnson play dead. The loyal butler, Perkins (Steven Kwarciany) attempts to support Inspector Carter (Jon Flath)'s investigation, but the misdirection of even the smallest tasks (like finding a pencil) send the characters and set pieces in all directions.
The love interest, Florence Colleymore, is played variously by Autumn Fournier and Robin Gavriloff, whose chemistry is both attractive and explosive. Brian Tourangeau's mime is not to be missed, and Pete Ammel's eyebrows could be a play-within-a-play-within-a-play. The backstage crew does double duty as the backstage cast, and we get to glimpse Robin, Mariah Lee, Adrian Rhode, Ashlynn Gustafson, and Aubre Erickson as they try to hold the set together. Trevor (Mark Cowman) improvises the reluctant "sound guy" that is the nightmare of every stage manager. (Quite the opposite of Kerry Madalinski, Pat Feldhusen, Kris Hovland and Lauren Hovland who do a wonderful job on sound and lights in real life).
The set itself is a work of art, with a specialty frame (rented from another Michigan theater) for stunts and customized by Jamie Peterson (backstage and safety manager), Jim Soderberg (backstage and safety crew), Cade Krueger, Gabe Kluka, Jon Johnson and Kris Hovland (who also served as assistant director). Jenny Heller and Kate Oman prepared excellent props, and Beth Peterson and Tammie Rutter nailed the costumes, hair and makeup.
There are many more people behind the scenes who work hard to "get it right" on the six other shows Players de Noc will produce this season. They have a diverse line-up that I trust will go much better than this one. Thanks go out to the dedicated board and collaborators who make these shows happen, to Michael Hall who takes beautiful photos, and graphic designer Laura Haagensen, who had to fight her better instincts, no doubt, to put spelling errors in the posters and program. She did it for the chuckle, and that is what this show is about - to set aside your worries, let the mess unfold before you, and have a good laugh with your friends.
Tickets are available online or at the box office. Performances are 7:30 pm October 11, 12, 13, 14 and 1:30 p.m. matinee on October 8.