After The Applause

Cornley Drama Society’s cohort of interesting characters just can’t seem to do anything right in this awful rendition of A Christmas Carol! (that was one of the funniest and joyful shows I have seen this year)

A rather juxtaposing beginning to this review you might be thinking. If you are not aware of Mischief Theatre they are one of the UK’s best comedy theatre companies as of right now. Originating at the Edinburgh Fringe, they created the concept of a fictional drama group (Cornley Drama Society) who cannot seem to stage any productions without lights falling, costumes failing or actors squabbling. Starting with the Play that goes wrong (now the longest running comedy in the west end) they have developed this idea, even being rewarded with their own BBC TV Show, and also developed the identities of the characters within the drama society. This is their 4th on stage adaptation of the ‘Goes Wrong’ franchise and Cornley surely have got their act together to produce a competent Christmas production? oh no they haven’t and it’s their best worst production yet..

I have been a fan of Mischief for years, their ideas and humour are just so brilliant and the writers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields are absolute geniuses. This production felt like they wanted to develop the characters of Cornley a lot more, as they decide to produce it as a ‘play within a play’ as we watch the society gather for meetings, cast the show, rehearse and prepare for opening night!

The first act is full of classic Mischief gags as we learn about the different relationships between the characters and as the writers cleverly sow later gags into the opening moments of the play, such as the lazy stage manager Trevor forgetting some safety checks he was meant to do, or Robert ruining the set by replacing parts of it with his lunch. We see the casting process as a stressed Chris Bean (the director of Cornley) tries to keep his cast of buffoons in order. Daniel Fraser had me in stitches as Chris, he even ad libbed when an audience member shouted out which was just hilarious.

He had to manage as one of his actors, Robert Grove, who has an acting CV comprised of 5 volumes with one of his practiced accents being ‘mafia boss’, as he tries to steal the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge through any means possible. Chris has to also put up with Dennis, an adorably idiotic young man who can’t remember any of his cues or lines so just writes them on anything and everything so he can read them throughout. Other cast members such as Annie, his assistant who is a bit too happy, or Max who can’t stop smiling even though he’s meant to be serious, do not help his directorial endeavours. We see him make a beautiful set box, ruined by a falling light and we see a transit van come through the back of a theatre and we just see disorganisation that can only lead to trouble..

It does. As Trevor announces to the audience at the end of the play in a legal statement from Cornley, ‘don’t tell the Charles Dickens society that this production exists’. As we begin Cornley’s performance, the audience erupts into laughter as an oversized malteaser box is rolled onto stage. That is when the true Mischief magic began! endless laughter and endless joy. I will not try and explain every gag because I won’t be able to type it I will be chuckling too much!! This production was some of Mischief’s most chaotic and brilliant work, although if you are a fan of the A Christmas Carol story this isn’t quite conventional, as I don’t remember Scrooge getting eaten by a humongous demonic puppet of Tiny Tim…

Now I ought to talk about the actors (not the Cornley ones, they suck) as this cast were a masterclass in comedic timing! Matt Cavendish had the audience on his side as Max, especially as he got his acting award from Robert at the end for his performance of 25 characters (sometimes multiple at once in a very creative manner). Sasha Frost was the egotistical Sandra, who wants to play Russell Crowe’s dead wife in a film and cares more about how she looks than how she acts, and Sasha was very funny in the small comic elements she had to do! These two were new members to the Mischief gang and they were very good additions.

Nancy Zamit is always a pleasure to watch as Annie and she had the audience in stitches as the Ghost of Christmas past with her odd choice of costume. Greg Tannahill is a master of messing up every part of his role and managing to get an angry liverpudlian stage manager caught in Marley’s chains, and Jonathan Sayer is so perfect as Dennis, who really needs to learn his lines!

My two standouts were certainly Chris Leask as Trevor, he just plays the stage manager role so well and he was certainly an audience favourite, and Henry Lewis as the extremely loud Robert Grove. Henry has always been an icon as Robert Grove, he is my favourite Cornley character. It seemed that everything he did in this show was just so incredibly funny, especially his role as the ghost of Christmas present where he might have taken it a bit too literally!

MY VERDICT:
This is such an excellent show, full of humour and festive cheer in the typical Mischief style. The set is of humongous scale and is absolutely brilliant, I have to applaud the stage team (not Trevor) who orchestrate and organise all of the chaos that ensues!

This show put me in a great mood and I left the theatre still chuckling. It is certainly Mischief’s best addition to the ‘Goes Wrong’ franchise and ticks all the boxes for a light hearted night out at the theatre.

So that concludes my review, and as giant evil puppet Tiny Tim screamed at the audience at the end of the play ‘GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!!!!!’. (I won’t explain this, all the more the reason for you to go and watch it!)