Cornley Drama Society should be ashamed of themselves – the show was a complete shambles. Nothing went right. The audience were in hysterics. What a disgrace. Rating
Excellent
Although Mischief now have a 10+ year run in the West End, shows across the world, and TV shows under their belt, their origins feel right at home with what Everything Theatre is all about. Unfortunately I wasn’t at the premiere of The Play That Goes Wrong at the Old Red Lion, or I’d have excellent bragging rights, but I’m thrilled to be at the Gala performance of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.
As a Muppet Christmas Carol super fan, I always find other adaptions difficult. Why aren’t there little mice singing about cheese, and where’s Rizzo the Rat? Luckily, there’s enough to distract in this whirlwind of chaos. Mischief don’t let us down, with Cornley Drama Society eagerly taking on this classic Christmas tale. Plus, there are some wonderful references to the best adaption of this classic, including an audition where someone plays Bob Cratchit as a frog.
An unoriginal opinion perhaps for a critical review, but this is a funny show. A very funny show. Wear non-waterproof mascara at your own risk. The first half in particular was truly hilarious. Dennis Tyde (Jonathan Sayer) is one of the highlights, and his never-ending struggle to learn his lines means that they’re written around the set in various and increasingly amusing places. As a group of characters cheers and drink a toast, Dennis shouts out “IKEA”. It’s a silly but clever moment that causes waves of laughter as different members of the audience get the joke; and that’s the joy of a Mischief show.
The show lets us peep behind the scenes, witnessing the auditions before being treated to their entire performance, which descends into pure chaos as the show progresses, and their final moments after the show, waiting for the review to drop. The cast keep us on our toes, with Robert Grove (Henry Lewis) never quite letting go of his wish to be Scrooge, constantly trying to sabotage lead and director Chris Bean (Daniel Fraser) to huge comedic effect. There isn’t a weak link in this haphazard group, with Sasha Frost’scharming narration another highlight.
It’s a challenge to describe the set without giving away huge spoilers, but let’s just say it’s as silly as the script whilst being incredibly well done and ingenious. One of the characters who becomes ridiculously oversized will haunt me for many nights to come. There are also moments of delayed gratification such as when you see someone get confused about where to put the coins and the snow – a moment that pops up time and time again with increasing hilarity.
Quite often nowadays a programme feels like a waste of money, limited information and a bunch of ads for other shows. But at Christmas Carol Goes Wrongthis couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a very amusing programme created by the Cornley Drama Society. Highlights include a whole section of Lorem ipsum placeholder text in a section on the history of Cornley in which a historian “kindly took the time to write this piece in Latin” and a REDACTED piece of text in the cast bios in which Annie Twilloil starts to criticise the director. The humour of the show ripples through every page.
With London at its festive best outside on a packed Shaftesbury Avenue, this is a true Christmassy treat. It feels very British, delightfully ridiculous, and my sides and cheeks hurt when I stepped back outside. A cliché perhaps, but this really is one for all the family.
Written by: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields
Directed by: Matt DiCarlo
Produced by: Kenny Wax, Stage Presence and Mischief
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is at the Apollo Theatre until Monday 26 January, followed by a UK tour.
