IN A YEAR WHERE EVERYTHING HAS GONE WRONG,
THIS WRONG MAKES EVERYTHING RIGHT
The Tony Award-winning The Play That Goes Wrong, also crowned Best New Comedy at the 2015 Olivier Awards, is a sidesplitting Broadway hit written by Mischief Theatre’s Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. At La Mirada Theatre in Hackensack (kidding…it’s in La Mirada), meet the hapless Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, whose attempt to stage a 1920s murder mystery goes spectacularly, hilariously awry. As the title suggests, everything that can possibly go wrong does—on an epic scale. From collapsing sets to botched cues, each calamitous mishap builds on the last, delivering an unstoppable cascade of guffaw-inducing pandemonium. This is the central focus of the play, um, that goes wrong.
Garrett Clayton (on floor), Mary Faber, Paige Robitaille,
Michael-Leon Wooley, Regina Fernandez and Sterling Sulieman (on sofa)
Sterling Sulieman, Regina Fernandez and Trent Mills
As the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds toward a curtain call under Eric Petersen’s sharp direction, the action hurtles forward with relentless energy, anchored by the cast’s impeccable comedic timing and physical mastery. Whether grappling with malfunctioning props, slipping platforms, or wayward sound effects, the performers embrace every mishap with wide-eyed conviction, ensuring the chaos feels both spontaneous and utterly delightful, be it a misplaced hand prop, missed lighting or sound cue, a door that won’t open, and scenery which falls to the floor. The most spectacular is a second-floor balcony platform which slowly keeps slipping vertically with actors trying to keep the furniture from falling into the scene below.
(Top) Trent Mills John Sanders, Reggie De Leon
(Bottom) Garrett Clayton, Sterling Sulieman and Regina Fernandez
Mary Faber and Reggie De Leon
The play-within-a-play structure allows the talented ensemble to shine in dual roles as both Cornley’s ill-fated drama society members and their over-the-top murder mystery characters. Regina Fernandez is Sandra (as Florence Colleymoore), a diva determined to survive the show’s crumbling set—and her own theatrical ambitions; Mary Faber is stagehand Annie who steps in as Florence when the knockout Sandra gets knocked out; Garrett Clayton chews scenery (whether it’s fallen or not) as Max, playing Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener; and Reggie DeLeon‘s ever-bumbling Dennis–who plays the Butler, Perkins–is a standout as he tries to keep the action moving along.
Michael-Leon Wooley, Mary Faber, Trent Mills, Regina Fernandez and John Sanders
Trent Mills, Garrett Clayton, and John Sanders
Trent Mills is the aggrieved Robert, whose brother Jonathan (Sterling Sulieman) has been murdered (fortunately, John Sanders is on hand as the flustered Inspector and Cornley’s director); and Michael-Leon Wooley is the Duran Duran-loving Trevor, the thoroughly distracted stage manager who also gets called upon to step in as Florence.
And be prepared for puns galore, especially when the cast improvises dialogue with audience members who react loudly to their onstage shenanigans.
Garrett Clayton and Trent Mills
Trent Mills and Reggie De Leon
Czerton Lim’s ingenious scenic design functions as a character in its own right, delivering controlled chaos at every turn. Paired with Steven Young’s lighting, Josh Bessom’s sound design, and Adam Ramirez’s clever costumes, Katie McCoy Yagen‘s wigs; Eric Elias‘s pyrotechnics; Kevin Williams‘ props, and especially Michael Polak‘s fight coordination, the production’s technical elements amplify the laugh-a-minute mayhem. And a shout out to the stagehands and the backstage crew members. It’s their job to be sure that things fall apart on cue since timing is everything in this ever-expanding farce.
John Sanders, Mary Faber, Reggie De Leon and Trent Mills
John Sanders, Mary Faber, Reggie De Leon and Trent Mills
This ingenious farce is a love letter to live theater’s unpredictability, where the line between disaster and comedy blurs magnificently. With its polished slapstick and razor-sharp wit, The Play That Goes Wrong guarantees a night of unbridled, zany, relentless comedy.
Garrett Clayton and Regina Fernandez
Trent Mills, John Sanders, Reggie De Leon and Garrett Clayton
photos by Jason Niedle/TETHOS
Mary Faber, Trent Mills, Regina Fernandez, John Sanders and Sterling Sulieman
The Play That Goes Wrong
McCoy Rigby Entertainment
in association with the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada
2 hours, including an intermission
Thurs at 7:30; Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; and Sun at 1:30 & 6:30
ends on February 16, 2025
for tickets, call 562.944.9801 or visit La Mirada Theatre
