Review: 'The Play That Goes Wrong' is 75 Minutes of Gonzo Hilarity

Burbage Theatre Company has launched their new season with the riotously zany farce "The Play That Goes Wrong," which is 75-minutes of pure hilarity. Director Jeff Church and company have crafted the funniest comedy I have seen so far this year.

The device used here is that of a play within the play. "The Murder at Haversham Manor" is being performed by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. It's a murder mystery in the vein of "The Mousetrap" that's set on an English estate. The plot is straightforward: Charles Haversham's body is discovered in his parlor. The suspects are his bride to be, Florence Collymoore (Allison Crews); Charles' brother, Cecil (Michael Yussef Greene), who's been having an affair with Florence; the butler, Perkins (James Lucey); and Thomas Colleymoore (Jack Clarke), Florence's brother.

Inspector Carter (an exquisite Liam Roberts) comes to investigate and questions the suspects. He has a haughty and pompous demeanor, as befits a man with delusions of superiority.

But the production of "The Murder at Haversham Manor" is a study in chaos; everything that possibly go wrong, does. The mantelpiece over the fireplace repeatedly falls off. Props are misplaced. Actors mispronounce words. A dead body is seen moving. Clocks and paintings fall onto the floor.

Church, working from a script by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, exploits the premise for all that it's worth. Each sight gag and line of dialogue is precisely timed and executed. Special praise must be given to Trevor Elliott's elegant production design.

The ensemble all plunge gleefully into the insanity, as well, performing spit-takes and pratfalls with ease. Valerie Westgate, a Burbage veteran, delivers a lot of laughs as Annie, the hapless stage manager who has to step in to play Florence. Some of the funniest moments in the play feature Westgate and Crews barking out the same lines of dialogue as Florence. Their competition escalates into a catfight as the other actors are trying to get their lines out.

Andrew Iacovelli has the difficult task of playing Charles, who spends much of the play as a dead man (no spoilers here!). Iacovelli does a lot of falling down, and does it well.

Greene has a memorable bit when Cecil has to answer a phone using his foot. His hands are trying to keep a painting of a dog from falling to the floor. Lucey has to endure numerous physical tortures, including carrying a chaise lounge on his back after he's handcuffed to it.

Yes, this is a wacky story. To give away any more would be a crime; suffice it to say, if you want to laugh a lot, this is the show to see.

"The Play That Goes Wrong" runs through September 22. Burbage Theatre Company, 59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket, RI. For tickets, visit www.burbagetheatre.org.