ARLINGTON – In just the second production of its first year of life, the Arlington Common Community Theater’s (ACCT) brilliantly chaotic production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” offers locals and visitors a masterclass in controlled theatrical disaster. Directed by local luminary Tim Rice, this slapstick triumph proves that the hardest job in theater is purposefully doing everything wrong.
The premise of the story, written in 2012 by Mischief Theatre founders Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, is delightfully meta. It plunges audiences into the opening night of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” a 1920s whodunit staged by the fictional, well-meaning but utterly inept Cornley Drama Society. The victim, Charles Haversham, is … dead?
Within moments, however, it’s clear the real tragedy is the production itself. Sets collapse, props vanish, actors get knocked unconscious, and the company desperately attempts to cover up the unfolding catastrophe.
At the center of this hurricane is Sebastian Massey, who tackles the daunting dual role of the arrogant director Chris Bean and the police Inspector Carter. Massey shines as he desperately tries to maintain an air of professionalism while the walls quite literally fall down around him. His gradual, agonizing descent into madness is spectacularly funny.
Christopher Wehrman, playing actor Jonathan Harris, takes on the demanding physical comedy of playing Haversham (who, as an actor, suffers from hilarious memory lapses and stage fright). Wehrman’s ability to play dead while dealing with the physical indignities of a malfunctioning set provides some of the heartiest laughs of the evening.
As Thomas Colleymoore, the loyal butler, Tim Rice commands the stage with a booming voice that frequently breaks under the weight of the production’s stress. Rice perfectly balances the pompous, melodramatic acting of stiff 1920s haughtiness with the sheer, unbridled panic of amateur actor Robert Grove watching his peers drop like flies.
The inimitable Debby Goldman portrays the butler’s assistant, Perkins, whose reliance on cue cards taped to every available surface—including the dead body—is a stroke of comedic genius. As actor Denise Tyde, Goldman’s delivery of hilariously mispronounced words is razor-sharp, grounding the absurdity with unwavering, earnest dedication.
Leif Erickson is a tour-de-force as actor Max Bennett, who in turn plays both Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener. Erickson commits wholeheartedly to the most exaggerated, fourth-wall-breaking “acting” imaginable. His beaming smiles directly at the audience whenever he receives applause are brilliantly cringeworthy and endearing in equal measure.
Laura King dazzles as Sandra Wilkinson, the actress playing the femme fatale, Florence Colleymoore. King balances this with a wonderfully diva-esque performance, fully committing to the classic theatrical trope of the leading lady who will do anything to protect the spotlight—even if it means a hilarious backstage brawl for the leading role.
Ari Santos steals short scenes as the harried, overlooked stage manager Annie Twilloil. Santos adpetly navigates a classic trope: starting as a terrified, script-clutching stagehand thrust into the limelight, and ultimately transforming into a full-blown, power-hungry prima donna who refuses to give up the stage.
Finally, Robert Ebert brings the required energy and sweat to the role of Trevor Watson, the beleaguered lighting and sound operator. Trevor’s brief stepping in to other actors’ parts, and constant, desperate battles with the venue’s faulty technical cues—leading to hilarious music and sound blunders—serve as the pulsing, ticking heartbeat of the show’s escalating disaster.
Director Rice must be applauded not only for capturing the split-second timing required to pull off perfectly scripted disaster but also for fostering such incredible ensemble cohesion in his ACCT players. Having seen this show several times before, I can attest that every one of the eight actors must be perfectly in sync for the show’s intricate slapstick, falling doors, and vanishing props to land safely.
In this way, the ACCT cast hits every single comedic beat, transforming structural collapse into a brilliant celebration of live community theater.
Production details were flawlessly delivered by the creative team, with the logistical savvy of stage managers Robert and Melissa Ebert, the clever three-part set design y Erickson, Joyce Kennedy, and Sandra Wood, lights and sound by Santos, and costumes by Rice.
The show ran about 100 minutes total, which included a 15-minute intermission.
In all, this fledgling community theater, in only the second production in its existence, has shown how quickly it can integrate lessons from their inaugural production last fall, and is beginning to look the part of a well-oiled stage machine.
As a result, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” a global crowd-pleaser, proves that in the capable hands of ACCT, the best nights out are sometimes the ones where things fall apart. It’s an unforgettable, high-energy comedy that leaves the audience gasping for air, and demands the attention–and attendance–of local audiences in its last several performances.
“The Play That Goes Wrong,” by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, is directed by Tim Rice and will run through June 13 at the Arlington Common Community Theater, 3938 Vermont Rte. 7A, in Arlington. For open-seating and very cheap $15 tickets, pay at the door or purchase online at arlingtoncommon.org/events/the-play-that-goes-wrong
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