BY SANDY STAGGS
DRAMA CRITIC
The longest-running play in Broadway history makes its Upstate company premiere on the glorious stage at, where else? Greenville Theatre.
The play within the play (do not miss the double playbill wihin the playbill) is directed by Greenville Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director Max Quinlan with steadfast aplomb. This stately murder mystery evokes other backstage farces such as Noises Off, but to the Nth degree, as Murphy’s Law impairs the Cornley Drama Society’s production of The Murder at Haversham Manor.
Written and developed by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Worldwide, this ridiculous comedy farce has shades of slapstick and vaudeville, and presented by a coterie of Greenville Theatre’s finest talents in their best British accents.
Matt Reece makes a surprise visit to GT as (Chris/Inspector Carter), local actor/director and presenter;
Jamie Riedy (Jonathan/ Charles Haversham) as the murder victim constantly abused by his cast mates;
Thelma Cope as the ambitious (Sandra/ Florence Colleymoore), who gets knocked out by a door on more than one occasion; Todd A. Janssen as (Robert/ Thomas Colleymoore); Cory Granner as himself on the side balcony working a Star Trek-sized sound and lighting module; Carter Allen as Max/Cecil Haversham; Laura Sykes as Annie the stage manager who starts the show by recruiting someone on the audience to hold a prop, and Evan Harris as (Dennis/ Perkins), who was last seen as Shylock in Something Rotten!
“Normally you try to avoid the possibility of everything falling apart in front of an audience,” is quoted in a press release, “but that’s exactly what this show is all about. Making that happen in a convincing, safe, and repeatable way has been quite a fun challenge for me. Luckily, we have a cast and crew that are great at what they do.”
I concur. This team gets it done every time and safely as the entire play literally falls apart.
From the get-go, the door doesn’t want to close, props are not where they should be, things fall, actors fall, and the audience on Saturday night was quite receptive particularly for Allen’s suave Max “moves”.
Don’t miss this instant classic and extraordinary feat of craftsmanship all around. And much credit this feat of engineering and precision goes to Technical Director and Set Designer for this show Graham Shaffer, quoted in a press release: “Normally you try to avoid the possibility of everything falling apart in front of an audience, but that’s exactly what this show is all about. Making that happen in a convincing, safe, and repeatable [manner]…Luckily, we have a cast and crew that are great at what they do.”
Tickets prices are $35 Adults and $33 Seniors. Student rush tickets are also available the day of the show for just $20 with a valid student ID. The Play That Goes Wrong show dates are:
Thursdays October 27th, November 3rd, November 10th (7:30PM), Friday and Saturday performances October 22nd, 28th, 29th, and November 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th (8:00PM) with Sunday performances on October 23rd, 30th, November 6th and 13th (3:00PM).
For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Box Office at 864-233-6238 or visit the GT website at www.greenvilletheatre.org.
