By: Jody Tuso-Key – Managing Editor — Photo Credit – Casey Garner Ford

Lawrenceville, GA – May 29, 2023 — Sunday’s performance of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG will go down in history, but more on that later…this critically acclaimed and award-winning play is currently playing, presented by Aurora Theatre at the Lawrenceville Arts Center’s Clyde and Sandra Strickland Grand Stage, as the closer of Aurora’s 23rd season until June 18th. This is categorized as the first-ever, Speakesie “Hot Ticket”, and we suggest you get your tickets before the show sells out!

This was my second GOES WRONG show, having recently seen the BBC 1 version of PETER PAN GOES WRONG on Broadway HD just a few days ago. What these shows promise is art imitating life in really badly acted, constantly breaking the fourth wall productions with every blunder imaginable that could happen on stage. For those of us in the industry, think of any nightmare scenario that could go wrong on steroids. This series is similar to the critically acclaimed NOISES OFF in its hilarity but takes the fun up a notch as the audience becomes more of a character in the performance than ever before.

Currently, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is playing at New World Stages in Manhattan, and PETER PAN GOES WRONG can be seen on Broadway at the Barrymore; but we don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for a trip to NYC when we can see it right in our own backyard. Aurora offers a rip-roaring physical comedy with some of Atlanta’s best talent — Marcello Audio (Chris/Inspector Carter), Candy McClellan (Annie/Stage Manager), Jeff McKerly (Dennis Perkins) Heidi McKerly (the actual director), and Anthony Rodriguez (Robert/Thomas Colleymore), Chris Hecke (Jonathan/Charles Haversham) and making their Aurora Debut, Arianna Hardaway (Sandra/Florence Colleymore), Caleb Clark (Max/Cecil), and Tyler Brown (Trevor/Lighting & Sound Operator). Two of my dear friends, Greg Hunter and Cole Singleton are also understudies. There’s so much star power on this stage the show is a constellation!!

I’ll try really hard not to give any spoilers here…The show opens with “stagehands” working on some last-minute set dressing. Other backstage tech members can be found in the audience to help patrons find their seats. Right before the play begins, a snafu happens to one of the set pieces and it falls to the ground with a THUD! Everyone gasped except me. I laughed (loudly!) In response, several audience members around me gave me reproaching looks. Once the show began, they were in on the gags and laughed as much as I did. I have a really loud, distinct, and slightly embarrassing (to others) laugh. My friends on stage tell me they always know when I’m in the audience and hear my cackle. What can I say? Laughter is like aerobic exercise for the insides. If you laugh every day, you’ll never be constipated.

The “Director” of the production, Chris, comes out to give his curtain speech and welcome the audience to the fictitious Cornley University Drama Production of THE MURDER AT HAVERSHAM MANOR (I mistakenly heard the word HABERSHAM and thought the setting eluded to a place up the road in Georgia a couple of hours drive from Lawrenceville). He apologizes to patrons for mix-ups at the box office (ironically, they couldn’t find my tickets-LOL!), but lets us know that this play is the result of a financial bequest and should be superior to their past hit productions, TWO SISTERS, THE LION AND THE WARDROBE, and JAMES AND THE PEACH (AKA – JAME’S, WHERE’S YOUR PEACH?). This curtain speech is a good warm-up for the audience and lets them in on the GOES WRONG genre which is slap-stick satire. As the play progresses, a smorgasbord of snafus occurs including set pieces breaking, misplacing props and props falling off the walls, doors sticking shut or flying open, and floorboards coming loose and collapsing, or creating big holes in the floor (on accident)!

This brings me back to why this is only a review of Act I. At Sunday’s performance, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG literally went wrong! Apparently, a gag misfired which caused a hole in the stage floor. The hole was so unsafe that if an actor or crew member were to step there, they risked falling through into the basement located underneath the stage. Intermission lasted about 30 minutes, and eventually, Aurora’s beloved Producing Artistic Director, AC Pence, entered in her famously charming demeanor to inform the audience of behind-the-curtain delays. The crew worked for 15 more minutes to solve the problem, and it was determined that the theater (the actual Aurora) would be risking life and limb of their actors and subsequently canceled Act II. I didn’t hear any disgruntled patrons as many of them qued up at the box office to reschedule their seats for another performance. This is why I absolutely love live theater! In my humble opinion, the best moments spent in a show as an audience member are the serendipitous ones.

Bottom line–stuff happens in live theater all the time. A great deal of it incidences of which the audience is never aware, ie. actors playing female characters fainting in their corsets; fly systems malfunctioning; everyone missing cues and dropping lines; prop and wardrobe malfunctions; light and sound issues; sprains, broken bones, concussions…the list goes on and on. Talk to anyone who has worked on a show, and they will regale you with stories like these. Get a cast/crew together for a reunion, and the fondest memories circle around what went wrong. The creators of the GOES WRONG series created a cash cow as these performances have become audience favorites since the play’s first premiere in 2012.

Enough of this tangent — let’s talk about Act I at Aurora’s performance. First, let me say I have a new category based on this show–this one is a Speakeysie “Hot Ticket”, especially after Sunday’s performance. Patrons are going to hear through word of mouth what happened and will want to get their tickets to see what else might ensue. Even if there are not any unplanned catastrophes, audiences will laugh themselves silly with the subtle and not-so-subtle antics of this cast and crew.

For all the characters, their fictitious actor names/character names are listed. So for example, Marcello Auduino plays Chris/Inspector Carter. Chris is the director of the fictitious theater company and also the character of Inspector in the murder mystery.

Jeff McKerly plays Dennis/Perkins, an actor who plays a butler. Dennis has his lines written on the palm of his hand and looks at them throughout the performance. It was especially hilarious to see Jeff play such a bad actor as he is one of the best in the business. Anyone who knows Jeff knows he’d never have to rely upon such amateur techniques. I once saw him pinch-hit a major role in THE FIRST FOLIO OF SHAKESPEARE (Theatrical Outfit) last minute with the script in hand, he looked at it maybe twice the whole play and delivered a stellar performance. His comedic timing is impeccable, and he delivers a flawless portrayal of a totally flawed performance.

Speaking of comedic timing, Candy McClellan as Annie/Stage Manager maintains her reputation as Atlanta’s most versatile actress and most prominent comedienne. I don’t want to spoil anything, but suffice it to say, Candy steals the laughs, as she always does, and deserves every last one of them!!

As I walked up to the balcony to go to my seat, Al Stilo, Director of Sales and Programming at Aurora, reminded me that my favorite actor is in the show. There are so many, but I think he meant Marcello Audino (Chris/Inspector Carter). He is a dear friend and we go way back to 2012 and his days at Gainesville Theater Alliance. I try not to miss his performances; he is always wonderful to see on stage. Like Candy, he is extremely versatile and has played a range of roles from Davey Jacobs in NEWSIES (Aurora Theatre) to Usnavi de la Vega in IN THE HEIGHTS (City Springs Theatre Company). This time, Marcello plays the straight man, which is a special talent. He’s the character that has to act as a foil to all the nonsense that occurs on stage.

Of course, Anthony Rodriguez doesn’t miss a beat as Robert/Thomas Colleymore. Comedic roles are his forte and his innate sense of humor translates HUGE whenever we are blessed enough to see him grace the stage. Thanks, Anthony for the laughs now and throughout the years!

Chris Hecke (Jonathan/Charles Haversham) is one of my new favorites! I’ve seen him on stage in the past, and loved his performance as “the dead guy”. His inability to “play dead” and botched entrances throughout Act I make for fun stuff!

Key-noteworthy performances also go out to Arianna Hardaway (Sandra/Florence Colleymore), Caleb Clark (Max/Cecil), and Tyler Brown (Trevor/Lighting & Sound Operator). Thanks for making your debuts at Aurora. We hope to see more of you in the future!!

Finally, Heidi Cline McKerly, you’ve outdone yourself directing this show! It’s so refreshing to see a straight play after so much musical theater, and what a delightful one to see!! Bravo to you and your team on this “hot ticket” performance!

If Act I is any indication, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is right for what ails you in so many ways. Be sure and get your tickets and be on the lookout for our review of Act II coming soon!!