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Review of The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre, London

A play has to be doing something right if you go to see it three times, the third of which involves travelling to London to do so. Either its superb, or this viewer is a little weird. Fortunately we have the situation where both of those statements are correct.

The Play That Goes Wrong is nothing short of one of the funniest plays, indeed anything you could ever wish to see. Having seen it twice in Northampton in two days, the opportunity to see it in the big city and its new home (maybe for sometime to come?) at the Duchess Theatre was too much to miss.

With its new home in the capital came an added confidence from the show. If anything it felt more solid, funnier, and more polished. It certainly hadn't settled on its laurels of its huge touring success. There were a selection of added jokes, slightly bolder staging moments and a slightly increased interplay with the hysterical audience.

I have had the pleasure of seeing over 50 plays this year and there is no question that this has been the one that the audience has responded the greatest to. People of all ages have laughed as one at this show and what I have also seen is the willingness of family trips for this show. This play drifts effortlessly across the generations with its audience. I have sat in rows with mother and daughter, grandfathers and grandsons like no other I have seen.

Your dear writer also took that bold step of taking his father to see the play. He who had not been in a theatre for years (decades in fact). This is a play that has no embarrassment, no bad language (well certainly a façade of no bad language), nothing that would make you squirm as you sat next to your father, mother or granny.

The cast of ten from Mischief Theatre are nothing short of sublime. Their timing, their performances, simply everything is manna from heaven. There are no famous faces here (not yet), just a cast of unknowns who create a show that a bevy of award winners would envy in the extreme.

Tonight sees the press night for the play and there is no question that this show will get a shed load of fives stars. There is absolutely no reason that given the chance, you should see this show. In fact never mind given a chance, you need to see it. Perhaps if you have never been to the theatre ever, or for a long time, this should be the one you should see. Although I must warn you, you may have to wait for a while to see a funnier show.

Rating 5/5 - A chaotic feast of hilarious delight.

Performance reviewed: Thursday 11th September, 2014 at the Duchess Theatre, London.

For my original review of The Play That Goes Wrong click here.

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