Ruston Community Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong Thursday through Sunday, March 23-26 at the Dixie Center for the Arts in Ruston.
The production welcomes the audience to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous.
This 1920's whodunit has everything audiences never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).
Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon.
The play-within-a-play features Hunter McFadden as Jonathan Harris, who portrays Charles Haversham. Benjamin Gross plays actor Robert Grove who portrays Thomas Cullemore.
Gross explains, "It's a little wild to remember who's doing what and when, but we have to be good enough actors to look like we are brand new actors who have never performed the play before." He warns the audience, "By the end of the show, there could be some serious destruction happening. I guarantee that anyone who sees this show thinks 'It can't possibly get any worse than this.' And then it will, and it will blow your mind."
Safety is a concern for actors performing stunts, but producers are careful to provide safeguards for the actors. McFadden says, "This is one of the most technically challenging plays that RCT has put on."
Performances March 23 through March 25 are at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 26.
Tickets are available online. More information on the play can be found at RCTruston.org.
