The Play That Goes Wrong went very well at Ferndale Repertory Theatre on Saturday night. In this slapstick play-within-a-play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the Cornely Drama Society presents The Murder at Haversham Manor. The society has just exactly enough members to put on the classic murder mystery set in the English countryside during the 1920s. Their experience and talent cover a broad spectrum, as do their reactions to misplaced props, a disintegrating set and missing (or unconscious) cast members. The physical comedy, quirky characters and a stage full of props and sets function exactly as designed — meaning they barely function at all. But the Cornely Drama Society powers through tenaciously to the end, miraculously keeping the plot intact through twists and turns both planned and unplanned until the mystery is solved, and the audience can be assured nobody else will get hurt.
The cast brings their best comedic game across the board. Chris Bean (Samuel Abraham) is the leader of the Cornely Drama Society, who also plays Inspector Carter. Bean has a seriousness that grounds the comedy. He and Robert Grove (Arnie Ellis), who plays Tomas Colleymore, hold the line against the onslaught of implausible misfortunes to the best of their abilities. Dennis Tyde (Michele Simms) plays the loyal butler Perkins. Tyde meets each obstacle with improv, problem solving and good-natured bemusement. Jonathan Harris (Andrew Miller) plays Charles Haversham, who is a corpse during most of the play. The role proves more interactive than he anticipates. (I hope Mr. Harris has an opportunity to work on his entrances in the future.)
Max Bennet (Garrett Vallejo) is obviously a newcomer to the stage, easily distracted by the audience and often breaking from the two characters he plays: Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener. He can be forgiven, I think, because his delight in the magic of theater is contagious. Sandra Wilkinson (Holly Robertson) plays the seductive leading lady Florence Colleymore. Stage manager Annie Twilloli (Meaghan Sharrard) and sound/lighting operator Trevor Watson (Dominica “Minnie” Savant-Bunch) step in to play Florence Colleymore as needed, and occasionally even when not needed. Sadly, Mr. Fluffers III was not found in time, so nobody played Winston the Dog. Though it isn’t credited, I must acknowledge the mantlepiece. They gave a strong performance.
Plays are living art with a mind of their own and no do-overs. There is always something that goes “wrong” to one degree or another. It’s the relationship between the cast and crew that determines the course of the storytelling experience. The FRT cast clearly developed relationships between the Cornely Drama Society members within the frame of putting on The Murder at Haversham Manor.
In this play, the only way something could go wrong is if it went right. But fortunately, nothing did. Or everything did. I’m not sure, but I’m deeply impressed by the scenic design (Carl McGaham) and prop design (Roux Kratt and Maggy Thursday Koepple). There is an art to making broken theater. This play is a great time and if you need a good belly laugh (and who doesn’t, these days?), this is the one to see.
Performances of The Play that Goes Wrong at Ferndale Repertory Theatre continue Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Sept. 28. Visit ferndalerep.org. l
Doranna Benker Gilkey (she/her) is a longtime Humboldt County resident and can often be found at her store Dandar’s Boardgames and Books in Arcata.
This article appears in Double the Drama.
OK, editors. Enough is enough! Either change the date on your publication to FRIDAY, or please deliver it when it says it should be – Thursday!! Lately, it’s been appearing erratically, some weeks late by a whole day. Rumor has it that the weekly paper we rely upon is being printed in Utah, hence the delay. Not acceptable!