The New York Times: On a recent afternoon, the actor Greg Tannahill sat perched atop a London rooftop, one leg extended, one arm outthrust. A pair of carpenters would then whisk Tannahill from his rooftop and into a nursery. And then out of it. And then back in again. A window frame would come free. Tannahill, now jerked upside down, would mewl and scream and clamber down a wall. Once he finally righted himself, the flight harness would wrench him upside-down again.
3 comments:
I love the “...that goes wrong” series. I had the privilege of watching the play that goes wrong in Chicago about a year ago and love the farce. I have also watched Peter Pan goes wrong on TV with my theater family and loved it. The idea of breaking the fourth wall and creating a show about a show is something so many theater makers can relate to. I really hope I am able to see this show live before it closes on broadway. I am so curious how the technical elements of this show works as having a set essentially fall apart every show and then be put back together gain must involve some advanced engineering. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with the stage manager for any of the “goes wrong” series plays to see how this complicated operation is pulled off. As this is a farce of a well known show I am hoping that Peter Pan Goes Wrong brings in a wider audience.
Theo
Sadly I have never seen a production of The Play that Goes Wrong, however I am a big fan of the similar play-within-a-play Noises Off, so I can only imagine how hilarious this production is. Creating and properly timing these effects must be incredibly difficult! I am so glad the article went into more depth on what this collaboration looks like between the stage manager, actor, two deck hands, and an offstage spotter! Of course it is this incredibly delicate balance, as the director points out, where this audience should not be too concerned for the actor’s safety to be laughing, but if it looks too planned, the stunt would not have the same physical comedy. I really hope that our school is able to do something like this one day, I think this is not only a great experience for technical directors and Stage managers and the actors but also just a fun way to expand our repertoire.
Ok, here’s my spot to talk about how much I adore Mischief. I’ve loved them for years, and was over the moon when I found out Peter Pan Goes Wrong was coming to Broadway with the ORIGINAL CAST. Because to be honest, that’s what I love most about Mischief - the original cast of Cornely actors. Something fun that I find funny is that in the Goes Wrong Show, there is an ongoing gag that Greg Tannahill’s Cornley character, Jonathan, can hardly ever get a second of airtime. Here, he’s playing Peter Pan. I’ve seen the televised special of this show countless times. What makes Peter Pan Goes Wrong so good is the heart and subplot beneath it. I won’t spoil anything, but Mischief's material is at its best, in my opinion, when we find out the drama of the Society itself through mishaps within the show. In PPGW, that’s through incorrect sound cues, sets turning onstage at poor times, etc. The Play That Goes Wrong doesn’t have this element, and I was expecting it when I saw it off-Broadway recently. Another note is that in the pre-show, Henry Shields is running through the aisles with an extension cord in character as Chris Bean, and it makes me sad that I’ll have to restrain myself from fangirling. I literally got tickets this morning. I cannot wait. I really hope they get some love at the Tonys, because the Play That Goes Wrong was just... very quietly appreciated, I believe.
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