Mischief Theatre has become quite famous ever since the birth of The Play That Goes Wrong. The live farce has gone on to stage in theatres in the U.K. as well as in the United States, its popularity only continuing to increase to this day. Since then Mischief has created more shows and some of them are currently onstage at this very moment. Magic Goes Wrong has made the Apollo Theatre its anchorage for the time being and it’s not too late to get tickets. If laughing is the desire, then it’s advisable to look no further than Magic Goes Wrong.
Magic Goes Wrong is a theme show that revolves around anything that can possibly go incorrectly during a live performance.
Like its predecessor(s), Magic Goes Wrong is a theme show that revolves around anything that can possibly go incorrectly during a live performance. The Play That Goes Wrong was so relatable in that sense, as everyone who’s ever been involved with the theatre understands the things that can happen. Yet, the show much go on. The same can be said for Magic Goes Wrong. Staged as a magic show that the troupe is holding for charitable purposes, magicians of every discipline unite to showcase their skills to a live audience in the hopes of receiving donations. What could possibly go wrong? As stated above: Everything. Anything that could possibly happen to deter the magicians from their performance happens – to their detriment, but to the audience’s amusement. Even the most stoic or dejected of individuals may find themselves unable to hold in the laughter for a show like this one.
Mischief continues to stun with the structure of their shows. The trouble their production team must actually go to just to insure that things go haywire is what makes the show so fascinating to sit through. Shows like this require a lot of technical work to be executed correctly, yet as always, Mischief manages to utilize a creative crew who is up to the task. The actors (some of them familiar faces) though merely the channel through which these mishaps occur, bring their own personalities to the stage and each of them as humorously practised as the next. Shane David-Joseph leads the cast with poise as ‘Sophisticato’ and Jane Milligan delights as ‘Madame Escapade’ but it is Henry Lewis as the ‘Mind Mangler’ who steals the show. Lewis, a regular of the Mischief troupe, takes advantage of every opportunity to make a fool of himself, a huge source of his comedy. His crowd work is also on point, easily able to move back and forth with the audience and the cast onstage. He is fearless at all times when it’s his turn to shine.
Stopping over in London? Might as well spend some money on this. The show will be running at the Apollo Theatre until the end of February, so there’s still plenty of time to grab a seat. As London is still one of few places at the moment that is allowing full capacity shows, this would be a great opportunity to go, laugh, and feel normal again.
