Theatre 2017: Review Twenty - The Play that Goes Wrong

The Play that Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal Norwich, June 2017.

I never really thought that farce was for me, slapstick films don't really hold my attention after the first few gags but yet this is my fourth play in the genre...

I watched, and was reasonably entertained by, Peter Pan Goes Wrong when it was shown on the TV at Christmas so cheap tickets to the original Goes Wrong play seemed too good to miss.

For some reason it just didn't quite hit the spot, it was reasonably funny and the actors had a great sense of timing. The set was incredible too - you really did never know what was going to fail next or how the cast would deal with the malfunctions was the real highlight.

The downsides were the plot and the delivery of the lines. The plot did just peter out and I do think that if you've seen one Play that... you've seen them all. In addition to this all too often the lines were lost in the mayhem - especially in the final scene, I hadn't even realised that the play was over it was so muddled.

On the whole it was a fun night and I did laugh a little but being a fan of the Blakeney Players and the Maddermarket theatre with the shows they put on I was a bit uncomfortable at the mocking of these great local theatre groups - this just wasn't quite affectionate enough.

Theatre 2015: Review Seventeen

Jersey Boys, Theatre Royal. Norwich. July 2015

Oh What a Night!

I've wanted to see this musical for a long time as I love the music and often have the soundtrack playing as I am walking/studying/avoiding the house work and it seemed as if the whole of Norfolk had the same idea - this booked out ages ago and the group of 5 of us were dotted around the circle rather than next to each other.  This doesn't really matter however as you shouldn't talk to the person next to you during the show anyhow!

Apart from the music I didn't know much about the story at all and I found the style in which the show was told to be both very interesting and at times slightly frustrating. Frustrating in that often only excerpts of songs I love were played and not the whole thing! The story itself hung together very well, was full of humour and sadness and at all times was really clear leaving you in no doubt who everyone was.  I also loved the way that the narrator changed throughout the show so we did get a rounded picture of the story, it really was about the Jersey Boys and not one person.

The cast were incredible and their voices so like the originals that I'd have thought they were miming if I'd seen a clip on TV.  It was an incredibly hot and humid night when we went yet they put their all into it and the singing and choreography was perfect throughout. My one possible quibble is that perhaps the writers didn't quite know how to finish the show as it did just abruptly stop, however as this gave the cast a chance to sing again it wasn't all bad. Seeing the live band throughout the show was a bonus and they deserved every cheer.

If the point of a hit musical like this is to leave you with a smile and humming the songs I'd say this was a real hit, and I think that if I got the chance I'd go and see it again in a flash.