Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2026-04-13 10:52 am
rionaleonhart) wrote2026-04-13 10:52 am
You've Put Me In A Very Difficult Position.
Last night, I took my mum to see The Play That Goes Wrong on stage for her birthday! She really seemed to enjoy herself; she commented that it was lovely to see a play where the audience was so clearly really into it. I'm very pleased.
We had a different Robert and Dennis from the last time I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong, on the eighth of February! What, yes, it's normal to see the same play again nine weeks later, don't give me that look.
I think I overall preferred the last Robert I saw. (I was looking forward to seeing him again, actually, so it's a bit of a shame he wasn't there!) He was very loud and attention-catching, which is essential when playing Robert - I vividly remember his bellowing of 'OF COURSE THEY DIDN'T NOTICE! I IMPROVIIIIIISED' and his every-word-emphasised delivery on 'I can explain!' 'I don't think you can' - and he had a great furious glare when the audience laughed at his death scene. He was also called Robert Jackson, now that I look it up, and I think Robert would approve of being played by someone with the correct name.
Both Roberts did a good job, though, and it was interesting to see the differences! It must be so hard to play a role knowing that a large proportion of the audience will already have seen someone else in it on account of The Goes Wrong Show, particularly when that 'someone else' happens to be the handsomest man in the world.
The new Dennis, meanwhile, was perhaps my slightly preferred version; I got more of a sense of haplessness from him.
My personal favourites of the stage-exclusive performers I've seen, incidentally, are Ronnie Yorke as Trevor in The Play That Goes Wrong (perfect Trevor energy, helped to shape my understanding of the character), Jack Hardwick as Chris in The Play That Goes Wrong (excellent Chris, captures both the desperate hope and the fury) and Daniel Fraser as Chris in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (so perfect as Chris that I'm sometimes picturing him instead of Henry Shields when I'm writing fanfiction).
The previous Robert eventually just choked the white spirit down towards the end of the time loop rather than spitting it out; I really liked that detail and was a little sorry to miss it this time! Another lost detail I liked from Jackson's Robert was him sitting against the wall for several minutes after the set collapsed, his hand over his face, in absolute despair. However, the Robert this time did do some good cowering in terror during the collapse of the set, and we got this great Robert moment, which I don't recall from the last performance:
Robert: I must check my bank records once more. If you'll excuse me.
(Robert, trapped under a desk on an increasingly sloping upper platform, is clearly unable to leave.)
Robert: If you'll excuse me.
(All the other actors just stare at him.)
Robert: That means CARRY ON WITH THE SCENE! You're a nightmare, the lot of you.
This Robert also improvised for longer to cover things up after rushing on stage to extinguish the fire in the coal scuttle; I think last time it was just 'Sorry, wrong room.' This time, Robert hesitated for a long moment before coming out with, 'Just... doing my rounds.' (long pause) 'The level of coal in the library is very low, and... consequently... so is the mood. I will be taking this coal scuttle... as your mood... appears to be fine.'
One detail that remained consistent across performances, and which I wasn't sure would happen every night: Sandra's thighs once again ended up wrapped around Robert's neck when she was pulled through the window. Thank you for this gift specifically and exclusively for me, the only Robert/Sandra shipper in the world.
Last time, Jonathan propelled himself across the room while playing a corpse by lying on the floor and, for lack of a better description, twerking vigorously. This time, it was more of a mixture of scuttling and sliding. I wonder how much his corpse locomotion varies from night to night.
I love how annoyed Chris gets whenever Max joins in with the audience's applause.
Tragically, this audience was very well behaved and no one called out to tell Chris that the ledger was under the chaise longue, so we didn't get him furiously lecturing us on theatre etiquette. It's nice to have that confirmation that they're not using audience plants, though; the audience only gets a lecture if someone genuinely interrupts!
It was a weird moment for me! I knew that, theoretically, I could call out; there was a part of me that really wanted to. I knew it would result in a scene the audience would enjoy! I knew the actors were hoping for it! But I cannot yell at the stage in a theatre. I just don't have it in me.
I really enjoy it when Robert accidentally knocks out their sole remaining actress and Chris collapses on his knees onto the chaise longue, pounding it with his fists, screaming 'NO! NO!' (Robert, meanwhile, just presses his head against the wall in despair.)
When Trevor was instructed to act out a hysterical episode, he wiggled his bottom while going 'I think I'm really ill' for a perplexingly long time, then added, still wiggling, '...I'm not sure where to go from here.' Eventually, he decided on where to go from there; he approached Chris, went, 'You're an inspector, right? Inspect THIS,' and shoved his arse at him.
Before the play, Trevor goes around asking if anyone's seen a dog; in the end, with nothing to play the role of the dog, the actors simply pretend an invisible dog is present. As we left the theatre, Trevor's actor was collecting for charity, so I had the opportunity to speak briefly to Trevor as I donated:
Riona: The dog never turned up?
Trevor: Yeah, well, there's always... not tomorrow, 'cause we've got a day off. There's always Tuesday, isn't there?
Riona: Well, if it's still missing by then, you could ask Robert to play the dog. I'm sure he'd be happy to have more stage time.
Trevor, deadpan: Yeah, he's got basically no lines. I'll just play it myself.
We had a different Robert and Dennis from the last time I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong, on the eighth of February! What, yes, it's normal to see the same play again nine weeks later, don't give me that look.
I think I overall preferred the last Robert I saw. (I was looking forward to seeing him again, actually, so it's a bit of a shame he wasn't there!) He was very loud and attention-catching, which is essential when playing Robert - I vividly remember his bellowing of 'OF COURSE THEY DIDN'T NOTICE! I IMPROVIIIIIISED' and his every-word-emphasised delivery on 'I can explain!' 'I don't think you can' - and he had a great furious glare when the audience laughed at his death scene. He was also called Robert Jackson, now that I look it up, and I think Robert would approve of being played by someone with the correct name.
Both Roberts did a good job, though, and it was interesting to see the differences! It must be so hard to play a role knowing that a large proportion of the audience will already have seen someone else in it on account of The Goes Wrong Show, particularly when that 'someone else' happens to be the handsomest man in the world.
The new Dennis, meanwhile, was perhaps my slightly preferred version; I got more of a sense of haplessness from him.
My personal favourites of the stage-exclusive performers I've seen, incidentally, are Ronnie Yorke as Trevor in The Play That Goes Wrong (perfect Trevor energy, helped to shape my understanding of the character), Jack Hardwick as Chris in The Play That Goes Wrong (excellent Chris, captures both the desperate hope and the fury) and Daniel Fraser as Chris in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (so perfect as Chris that I'm sometimes picturing him instead of Henry Shields when I'm writing fanfiction).
The previous Robert eventually just choked the white spirit down towards the end of the time loop rather than spitting it out; I really liked that detail and was a little sorry to miss it this time! Another lost detail I liked from Jackson's Robert was him sitting against the wall for several minutes after the set collapsed, his hand over his face, in absolute despair. However, the Robert this time did do some good cowering in terror during the collapse of the set, and we got this great Robert moment, which I don't recall from the last performance:
Robert: I must check my bank records once more. If you'll excuse me.
(Robert, trapped under a desk on an increasingly sloping upper platform, is clearly unable to leave.)
Robert: If you'll excuse me.
(All the other actors just stare at him.)
Robert: That means CARRY ON WITH THE SCENE! You're a nightmare, the lot of you.
This Robert also improvised for longer to cover things up after rushing on stage to extinguish the fire in the coal scuttle; I think last time it was just 'Sorry, wrong room.' This time, Robert hesitated for a long moment before coming out with, 'Just... doing my rounds.' (long pause) 'The level of coal in the library is very low, and... consequently... so is the mood. I will be taking this coal scuttle... as your mood... appears to be fine.'
One detail that remained consistent across performances, and which I wasn't sure would happen every night: Sandra's thighs once again ended up wrapped around Robert's neck when she was pulled through the window. Thank you for this gift specifically and exclusively for me, the only Robert/Sandra shipper in the world.
Last time, Jonathan propelled himself across the room while playing a corpse by lying on the floor and, for lack of a better description, twerking vigorously. This time, it was more of a mixture of scuttling and sliding. I wonder how much his corpse locomotion varies from night to night.
I love how annoyed Chris gets whenever Max joins in with the audience's applause.
Tragically, this audience was very well behaved and no one called out to tell Chris that the ledger was under the chaise longue, so we didn't get him furiously lecturing us on theatre etiquette. It's nice to have that confirmation that they're not using audience plants, though; the audience only gets a lecture if someone genuinely interrupts!
It was a weird moment for me! I knew that, theoretically, I could call out; there was a part of me that really wanted to. I knew it would result in a scene the audience would enjoy! I knew the actors were hoping for it! But I cannot yell at the stage in a theatre. I just don't have it in me.
I really enjoy it when Robert accidentally knocks out their sole remaining actress and Chris collapses on his knees onto the chaise longue, pounding it with his fists, screaming 'NO! NO!' (Robert, meanwhile, just presses his head against the wall in despair.)
When Trevor was instructed to act out a hysterical episode, he wiggled his bottom while going 'I think I'm really ill' for a perplexingly long time, then added, still wiggling, '...I'm not sure where to go from here.' Eventually, he decided on where to go from there; he approached Chris, went, 'You're an inspector, right? Inspect THIS,' and shoved his arse at him.
Before the play, Trevor goes around asking if anyone's seen a dog; in the end, with nothing to play the role of the dog, the actors simply pretend an invisible dog is present. As we left the theatre, Trevor's actor was collecting for charity, so I had the opportunity to speak briefly to Trevor as I donated:
Riona: The dog never turned up?
Trevor: Yeah, well, there's always... not tomorrow, 'cause we've got a day off. There's always Tuesday, isn't there?
Riona: Well, if it's still missing by then, you could ask Robert to play the dog. I'm sure he'd be happy to have more stage time.
Trevor, deadpan: Yeah, he's got basically no lines. I'll just play it myself.
no subject
Oh yes, primo Robert qualities! Good job being Robert, Robert!
You're welcome from the universe! Those two would be a terrifying couple!
Amazing mental image, thank you.
Perfect choice, Trevor, no notes.
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Those two would be a terrifying couple!
Just a beautiful black hole of self-absorption. I'd love to see the rest of the drama society's reaction to the revelation that they're together.
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Uncontroversial designation!
Another lost detail I liked from Jackson's Robert was him sitting against the wall for several minutes after the set collapsed, his hand over his face, in absolute despair.
the show must fucking go on, Robert. Pull yourself together.
This Robert also improvised for longer to cover things up after rushing on stage to extinguish the fire in the coal scuttle; I think last time it was just 'Sorry, wrong room.' This time, Robert hesitated for a long moment before coming out with, 'Just... doing my rounds.' (long pause) 'The level of coal in the study is very low, and... consequently... so is the mood. I will be taking this coal scuttle... as your mood... appears to be fine.'
Oh that's glorious
Thank you for this gift specifically and exclusively for me, the only Robert/Sandra shipper in the world.
Look I am not saying I ship them but I am saying that if and when they have sex they're the only people I can imagine wanting to do so in an entirely mirrored room.
Tragically, this audience was very well behaved and no one called out to tell Chris that the ledger was under the chaise longue, so we didn't get him furiously lecturing us on theatre etiquette. It's nice to have that confirmation that they're not using audience plants, though; the audience only gets a lecture if someone genuinely interrupts!
wow, this leads to the possibility that they have a script that's rather more like a game script than a play. what an interesting thought
But I cannot yell at the stage in a theatre.
Not even in Panto?!
he approached Chris, went, 'You're an inspector, right? Inspect THIS,' and shoved his arse at him.
Out-loud, bewildered laughing, thank you
no subject
if and when they have sex they're the only people I can imagine wanting to do so in an entirely mirrored room.
God, one hundred percent. And then they'll both get offended that their scene partner is looking at their own reflection rather than them.
wow, this leads to the possibility that they have a script that's rather more like a game script than a play. what an interesting thought
With a little poking around, I've uncovered two different versions of the script! The earlier edition (the second edition) doesn't account for the audience getting involved at all:
Chris removes the cushions from the chaise longue, there is no ledger. He begins to search for it, pulling off the lining of the chaise longue, looking inside the pillows. Vamps to cover. Eventually he finds it underneath the chaise longue.
The later edition, a draft for Broadway (still by the original authors), adds 'There is sometimes a bit of audience interaction here. Often an audience member will shout "it's underneath" or something similar to which Chris can respond', followed by some suggestions for things he can say ('This is a serious murder mystery play and you’re ruining it... what is wrong with you people? You wouldn’t behave like this at Mousetrap.").
This is really interesting to me! I'd assumed they'd originally included the 'lost ledger' bit in the hope of drawing in the audience, but it seems like the audience got involved in performances and they just decided to encourage it.
I haven't seen a panto in a long time; maybe I should go to test whether I can yell at one!
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no subject