11/11/2021
Inside the Theater / Performances and Artists
Tony-Winning Comedy ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Pairs Bigs Laughs With Difficult Stunts
When the creators of beloved comedy “The Play That Goes Wrong” set their sights on Broadway, they didn’t think small.
“We were very ambitious and said, ‘what if we have a lot of big stunts, and there are loads of stuff that collapses and smashes?’” recalls cowriter Henry Shields, who also costarred in the original production.
They certainly accomplished that.
In this hilarious comedy – one of the longest-running plays on Broadway, coproduced by Hollywood powerhouse J.J. Abrams and Tony-winning producer Kevin McCollum – actors get lit on fire, fall from high-level sets, get dragged through a window and get walloped by the set as it collapses around them.
“We had phenomenal response from audiences when this show first visited The Smith Center. So many people said they had never laughed like that in a theater before,” says Paul Beard, Smith Center programming advisor. “We’re bringing this show back because we want to give more people the chance to see it – and more importantly, everyone could use a laugh after this past year’s events.”
This production definitely provides laughter.
“This show has a really high gag rate, and it has really difficult, physical stunts,” says Jonathan Sayer, cowriter of the show often likened to Monty Python meets Sherlock Holmes. “But it has one obvious aim. Whether you’re doing it in front of four people in a pub or 950 people in a theater, you want people to laugh as much as possible and have a great time.”
Learning Stunts from the Circus
Staging such an elaborate barrage of slapstick actually required specialized training.
The creators strived to finesse split-second timing for every pratfall, while ensuring no blows left actors injured.
“It’s one thing to be like, ‘can you be thrown into that wall and do a flip here?’ You can do that for a short space of time,” Sayer says. “But doing it night in and night out, you need to know exactly how to do that — not just so it looks good, but also so you’re not just ruining your body slowly.”
To accomplish this, the English creative team sought help from the AirCraft Circus Academy in London, which provided specialized stunt training for the show’s small ensemble.
Regular gym sessions also became a necessity to maintain fitness for the physically demanding show.
Some issues still occurred.
Shields reinjured a herniated cervical disc during a performance, and another actor had surgery on both shoulders after dislocating them.
“I got hit by a piece of falling set in our first show in Canterbury,” Shields recalls. “It got a big laugh.”
Backed by J.J. Abrams and Kevin McCollum
While “The Play That Goes Wrong” has now performed in over 30 countries, it started as a one-act show performed in a London pub.
The Mischief Theatre company, which included the show’s cowriters, rapidly gained more and more attention for the show, until it landed in London’s acclaimed West End.
There, it earned the attention of J.J. Abrams, creator of iconic series “Lost” and director of blockbuster “Star Trek,” “Star Wars” and “Mission Impossible” films. It also caught the eye of Tony-winning producer Kevin McCollum, producer of Broadway smashes such as “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights.”
“I don’t remember laughing that hard ever before. The audience was going insane, and it was just so much fun to watch,” Abrams recalls of first seeing the show. “I asked the people who were doing the play, who I met that night, if they had any plans to go to Broadway, and if I could be of any help, I wanted to be.”
With Abrams and McCollum as producers, the show launched on Broadway and earned a Tony for Best Set Design.
Abrams felt confident in producing the show because, while its silliness resembles “Monty Python meets Buster Keaton,” those who pay attention will find “intricacy and thought behind it,” he says.
“What I love about the play is that it is simply, viscerally, undeniably, hysterically funny,” Abrams says.