The show that never grows old | The Duchess Theatre

For the last 6 years, The Play that Goes Wrong has been running at the Duchess theatre in London. I adore the work of Mischief Theatre; they never fail to make me laugh until I cry and I think they have found the perfect balance between silly humour that remains funny, without it being so silly it makes me cringe to watch, or feels too forced.

Before moving to London, I’d seen the production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong that was streamed to BBC and absolutely loved it. This was the first time I’d seen anything Mischief Theatre had done, and that was all it took for me to want to see more. So, I hastily forced my friend to come with me to see The Play that Goes Wrong. I found Mischief Theatre hilarious just watching them on my TV screen. So watching one of their productions live in person was even better. It was my first time seeing the show, and my first time seeing one of their shows live. At one point I was laughing so much I was wheezing. I don’t know what it is about their comedy specifically that has this effect on me, but it still never fails to make me laugh until I wheeze and cry, even after seeing the show a fair few times.

So I saw the show before moving to London. And then I made the big move. By now I think I’ve mentioned I found some places in London that became forms of homes away from home for me when I was feeling lost or overwhelmed. But the very first night in London was when I took myself on my first solo theatre trip to see The Play That Goes Wrong. I’d wanted to live in London for as long as I could remember, and there I was doing just that! But if I am being totally honest…it was also a little, maybe just a tiny bit scary. When all my friends went to uni or moved towns – they all knew at least one person. I knew no one. Little old me had just moved to a huge city. I was feeling excited of course, but also a bit overwhelmed. After that first day moving in, saying bye to my parents and brother, settling in, attending the awkward welcome party to meet my other housemates in my halls of residence…I didn’t know what to do with myself. So, naturally, I wanted to do the one thing I loved more than life itself and I knew would never fail to cheer me up: go to the theatre.

Cue me scrolling on TodayTix to see what the cheapest show was that night. Cue me spotting The Play That Goes Wrong having a cheap solo seat. Cue me hopping on a bus, going to see a show that I know would make me laugh away my troubles and forget they even existed for a few hours. Needless to say, it worked. I came out of the theatre will a smile on my face, I felt a lot lighter than when I went in, and I felt a lot more hopeful and less overwhelmed.

The show is easy and simple comedy, but yet it is still so effective. What makes it even funnier to me is that it’s every theatre creatives worst nightmare. The clue is in the title of the show…everything you can think of that might go wrong in a show…does. In a way, I sometimes feel sorry for the characters for having all this misfortune! But hats off to them for persevering until the very end – the audience payed for a show, and a show they will get! Plus, The Play That Goes Wrong just looks like it would be such a fun show to be in. Annie will forever be one of my dream roles…oh to be paid to be in a show where you get to make mischief and mayhem happen for a few hours.

It is because of all of this that I view The Play That Goes Wrong as a sort of a comfort show for me. Since that first scary night when I moved to London, I have always tried to go and see the show at least once per cast. I say at least once, because of course it is always fun to see how understudies take on a role and give it their own perspective. And despite going back numerous times, that comforting feeling never fades. Despite knowing what will happen, no two shows have ever felt (nor actually been) the same, the jokes have never not made me laugh until I cry, and I’ve never not had a great time. For me, The Play That Goes Wrong is such a reliable show for me, because I can count on it making me smile, lifting my spirits, and being there as a comfort show whenever I need it. I think of it as the show that never grows old, and one that I never tire or get bored of.

After this seemingly never ending drama of life we are all currently going through, I really can’t wait for the day when I walk back into the Duchess theatre again. I think seeing The Play That Goes Wrong will be a very appropriate choice of show to see, after all that’s happened. I think we all could do with a good laugh to make us feel a bit brighter! Making do with Mischief Theatres online content will tide me over for now, but I eagerly await returning to the theatre and experiencing the chaos of The Play That Goes Wrong live in person, and having it distract me and fill my heart will laughter once more.

If like me, you are in need of Mischief Theatre content, head to their website here: https://mischiefcomedy.com/ where they will soon be streaming Mischief Movie Night, live.