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In a live performance, it’s not easy to intentionally make something appear accidental.
Actor Eric Sharp shared this truism during a recent behind-the-scenes peek of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which opened Wednesday at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and runs through May 11.
Sharp portrays Chris Bean, director of the fictitious Cornley Drama Society’s production of play-within-a-play “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” Good fortune is not on the side of his cast, which navigates unplanned injuries, botched dialogue and broken props to great comic effect.
The challenge, says Benjamin Hanna, the true-life director of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” is to preserve the surprise of each slapstick moment.
“The actors have to imagine that something is going wrong for the very first time,” said Hanna, who also serves as the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s artistic director. “They rehearse sometimes hundreds of times to make sure something is safe and consistent, but then every time they approach it they have to act as if it’s the first time the walls have fallen down around them.”
Hanna said the physical set should be considered as one of the characters in the production. When “The Play that Goes Wrong” made it to Broadway, it won the 2017 Tony Award in the category of best scenic design of a play.
At the IRT, it’s impossible to overlook the complicated set that—similar to the actors—needs to “go wrong” in a seamless manner.
Magnets, compressed air and counterweights are some of the set’s concealed components.
Hanna said it’s not uncommon for theatrical productions to incorporate sophisticated visuals when scenes or settings change.
In the case of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” all of the action happens in a single room. After all, the Cornley Drama Society doesn’t have an unlimited budget.
“This is very complex because it’s one location, and everything has to go wrong and fall apart in that one space,” Hanna said. “The challenge is less about bringing us to many different places, which many plays do, but this one is in the same room. How many things can go wrong? How many tricks can we fit into the play?”
Originally staged in 2012 by London’s Mischief Theatre Co., “The Play That Goes Wrong” became a U.K. sensation that inspired TV projects such as “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” “A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong” and “The Goes Wrong Show.”
The IRT cast includes multiple actors from recent productions at the theater, including Rob Johansen (“A Christmas Carol”), Claire Wilcher (“Clue”), Dominique Lawson (“Little Shop of Horrors”), Brett Mutter (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) and Sarah Coakley Price (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”).
Christopher Swader and Justin Swader, siblings who graduated from Ball State University and now work in New York City, served as scenic designers for “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the IRT.
In-house technical shops—including set, paint, sound, costumes and lighting—collaborate to create what Hanna calls “the atmosphere and playground for those actors to tell that story.”
“The Play That Goes Wrong” is a co-production with Geva Theatre in Rochester, New York, which means that Hanna, cast members and the set built in Indianapolis will shift to Rochester in September for a run of shows there.
Co-productions are attractive, Hanna said, because shared costs help the budget of each company.
‘The Play That Goes Wrong’
- When: Through May 11.
- Where: Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St.
- Tickets: $25 and higher.
- Info: Visit irtlive.com.
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The IRT performance last night was one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. The cast and crew — and set designers — all were at the top of their game. Go see it!