Introduction
As outlined in a previous review, I am a massive fan of Mischief Theatre Company, having seen and loved 'The Play That Goes Wrong' and 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' before they came to greater acclaim with the TV version of the latter (followed by 'A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong' and two series of 'The Goes Wrong Show'). Since then I have seen their 'A Comedy About a Bank Robbery', 'Groan Ups', 'Magic Goes Wrong', and an online version of 'Mischief Movie Night'. (I also already have tickets booked for the tours of 'Charlie Russell Aims to Please' and 'Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle') Therefore, the announcement of a new touring play by Henry 'Chris Bean' Shields, directed by Henry 'Robert Grove' Lewis, meant that I booked a ticket at the nearest venue to me, the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.
Plot
It’s the final night recording Wibble the Dragon. The show is massively over budget and under written. With one hour left to film 16 pages and an audience of children getting more and more impatient, the cast and crew know big cuddly heads are going to roll.
The last thing anyone needs is a failed actor showing up with a sinister vendetta and his own dragon costume. In this adult take on a kids’ TV show more than just careers will die.
Review
The programme indicated that most of the cast had been in previous Mischief Theatre shows, with the three recognisable from the TV show being Bryony Corrigan (who played Vanessa), Chris Leask (Trevor) and Greg Tannahill (Jonathan). Also in the cast was Tom Walker, best known for his satirical creation Jonathan Pie.
Each act involved seeing the same events several times from different parts of the studio, with Shield's script having to be tightly written, particularly as all rooms featured a clock which could have indicated any timing anomolies. Confusing elements of some scenes became clearer when you had seen what else was going on elsewhere. Being a Mischief show, at least one person gets hit by a door, falls down, or seemingly gets seriously injured. However, this was very much secondary to the darkly comic main plot.
I laughed from start to finish, with Greg Tannahill's main scene in Act Two as the studio medic, Kevin, being a masterpiece of physical comedy that brought a spontaneous round of applause from the audience, and a mini standing ovation. I also really enjoyed Harry Kershaw as the geeky Sean, Adam Byron as the over-the-top old actor Anthony (channelling his director Mr. Lewis), and Eboni Dixon as the put-upon Sam Pam.
Unfortunately, I saw the anti-penultimate performance of the tour, but I highly recommend catching it should it tour again.
Rating: 
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