By Holly Gould
CenterPoint Theatre invites you to join them for a night of mishaps and mayhem with their production of The Play That Goes Wrong at the CenterPoint Legacy Theatre in Centerville, Utah. Since 2012, this play within a play has left audiences in stitches from London to Broadway and beyond, collecting Oliver, Tony, and Drama Desk awards along with many others.
In this fantastically funny tale of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, we experience the unfortunate opening night of the mystery Murder at Haversham Manor, where this unsteady group of actors take the saying “the show must go on” to the extreme. Their story takes crazy twists and turns as they navigate missing lines, missing props, and a disaster of a set.
Michael Gardner brings us the stern and no-nonsense Inspector Carter. Also the drama society president, there is a desperate desire for excellence, though the sure disappointments are accepted with graceful apologies to the audience. He gives strong delivery (and re-delivery) of his lines and his physical comedy skills are tremendous. There is a pleading desperation that shows in his eyes as he longs for something to go right during the performance.
Jacob Sommer plays Trevor, the light and sound guy who doesn’t seem to care about the show much but still seems to get things done when he is needed. He is quiet and funny as he fixes the set and tries to help with the mishaps onstage. With a little coaxing, he becomes surprisingly uninhibited when needed to step into a role and gives incredible energy to the moment.
Stage manager Annie (Jenni Cooper) is the mousy and frantic character that we all picture as in the background. Her timid and shy demeanor is awkwardly funny as she steps into the leading lady role when necessary but is so enjoyable to watch as she gains more and more confidence in her performance, and even grows strong and feisty as she later fights to keep acting.
Presumed dead for much of the show, Blake London as Charles Haversham is skilled at non-verbal communication. His facial expression and body movement bring so much laughter and energy to the stage. We are thrilled when he is finally able to use his voice and come to life.
Mitchell Gibb is ever entertaining as the butler Perkins. His character’s inability to remember lines and his frequent mispronouncing of words kept me in giggles. Gibb’s line delivery (even when wrong) is right on target and delivered with spot on timing.
Thomas Colleymoore (Jared Morgan) is the master of over-dramatic. Morgan’s wild eyes and wild hair add to the outrageousness of the happenings onstage. He shows incredible physicality as he has several hilarious scenes dealing with props and set pieces gone rouge.
Dual roles of Cecil Haversham and Arthur are portrayed by Tyler Clawson with absolute perfection. He delivers his quick lines with quick wit and impeccable timing. He playfully seeks well -deserved admiration from the audience with his ever-high energy levels.
Amanda Morgan is splendid as the talented and beautiful Florence Colleymoore. Never missing a line is uncommon in this script, and A. Morgan delivers each line with precision and clarity. She shows so much skill in a very physically demanding role.
As much talent as each cast member brings, they are incredible as a group. Jennifer J. Westfall (director) leads this small, but talented eight-member ensemble with skill that brings us what seems to be effortless entertainment. There is something that feels special about the cast’s energy onstage. The perfected timing in both physical and written comedy must require a tremendous amount of hard work but is smooth enough that the audience feels each interaction is realistic and leaves us laughing longer and louder than we would at other shows. Onstage chemistry in the cast is highly energetic, playful and exciting, which makes it hard to pinpoint any favorite scenes, but if I had to, my highlights would be the verbal swordfight and the battle of the Florences.
This show is an absolute dream for technical theater people, and I took my very own tech crew kid. We had high expectations and were not disappointed. It takes a lot of hard work to make every mistake happen on purpose. Technical director Derek Walden and his team pulled off every cue to perfection. Cynthia Klumpp and Janae Gibb created a visually stunning stage with bright colors and grand details. Truly the star of the show, the set brings stunning surprises throughout the night that leave us wondering what could possibly happen next. My tech kid particularly enjoyed the use of the smoke machines and electro-magnets. Lighting and sound (Jordan Fowler) add perfect accents with precise timing that enhance the script and complete the humorous effects of each scene.
Truly talented community theater can be hard to find, but Centerville’s CenterPoint Theatre consistently delivers high quality productions that live up to its grand reputation. The Play That Goes Wrong is a gut-busting comedy filled with physicality and fun. The story of theatrical mishaps is entertaining for both those familiar with the theater and the occasional patron. Bring the whole family to this outrageous night of misfortune and fun.
CenterPoint Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong
Written by Henry Lewis, Johnathon Sayer, and Henry Shields
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre 525 North 400 West, Centerville, Utah 84014
January 14- February 12, 2022, Monday-Saturday 7:30 PM, Saturday Matinees 2:30 PM
Tickets – $18.75-$34.50
801-298-1302
CenterPoint Theatre Website
CenterPoint Theatre Facebook Page
0 Comments