Review: Peter Pan Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre

Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Apollo Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 8th December 2015
★★★★

It's official - Mischief Theatre are unstoppable! In 2013 The Play That Goes Wrong - which was created as an improvised piece by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields - premiered at the Old Red Lion, a pub theatre in Camden. Two and a half years later the play is celebrating its first birthday in the West End and Mischief have brought their second creation Peter Pan Goes Wrong to the West End for a festive run.

Big Interview: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields

Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields are the stars and co-writers of The Play That Goes Wrong. 

The trio are members of improvised theatre company Mischief Theatre who originally staged The Play That Goes Wrong at the Old Red Lion – a fringe theatre in Angel – two years ago. 

Following its premiere the piece transferred to Trafalgar Studios 2 and then to Edinburgh. Following sell out and critically acclaimed runs, The Play That Goes Wrong launched a UK Tour before transferring to the West End’s Duchess Theatre where it recouped twelve weeks into its now-extended season. Countless international productions are already planned, including a possible Broadway transfer. 

The Play That Goes Wrong has been nominated for Best New Comedy at this year’s Olivier Awards. Mischief Theatre have also brought their improv show ‘Lights! Camera! Improvise!’ to the West End, performing to sold out crowds once a month, and their new stage show Peter Pan Goes Wrong recently launched its UK Tour. 

Summed up perfectly by its title, The Play That Goes Wrong follows the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s disastrous attempt to put on a 1920's murder mystery.

I recently sat down with Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields in their West End dressing room to discuss The Play That Goes Wrong’s incredible journey to the West End, how the piece has developed and what extreme audience reactions they have experienced. We also talked about getting stuck in dog flaps, performing impro in a cupboard in Poland and much, much more…

Two years ago I received an email inviting me to press night of The Play Goes Wrong at the Old Red Lion Theatre in Camden… and now here we are sat in your West End dressing room! What is it like to look back at the last two years? Have you had the chance to take it all in?

Jonathan Sayer: I sent you that email! It’s all happened incredibly quickly, and I think things are still happening incredibly quickly so no, there isn’t really the chance to breathe and take it in. People say, “you’ve taken it in your stride” but I don’t think we have, it’s just happened so quickly and we’ve gone along with it. 

Henry Shields: We’ve just got used to not knowing what’s going on and just being like, ‘oh the next thing’s happened’. We’re used to not knowing where we are.

Guest Blog: From the Fringe to the West End & back again

Jonathan Sayer

On the first day of rehearsals we had a cast member drop out after being offered a part in a well paid advert. On the second day our director couldn't make rehearsals because his washing machine flooded his home and he had to wait for a handyman to rescue him. On the third day, the wall of the space we were using to rehearse fell down, nearly injuring most of the actors. For most productions this would be a terrible start, but for us it was perfect preparation….

The Play That Goes Wrong initially started as a short piece written by Henry Lewis when he was much younger. At the time he was attending the Questors Youth Theatre Programme and was lucky enough to be taught by Michael Green who wrote The Art of Coarse Acting and with it The Coarse Acting Plays. People have asked whether there is anyone or anything that has inspired the work and I'd say the two major influences are Michael Green and Lecoq clowning (which is something we did quite a lot of when we were at drama school).