By Katie Ngo
Watch a drama society’s continuous failures to put on a play in Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) Theatre production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields.
The play has two different storylines to follow: a murder mystery and a drama society that’s fruitlessly trying to put up that play. It brilliantly interweaves both narratives together by having actors simultaneously play people in the drama society who are themselves characters in the murder mystery.
Although it might seem confusing or difficult to keep track of names, each character is immediately wonderful and easy to remember. They all have their own running jokes, letting them shine and stand out in different ways.
Even before the show officially starts, the audience gets a taste of what’s to come as soon as the house opens. A part of the set is broken and an animal is missing, subtly foreshadowing all of the things that might go wrong.
The audience is formally introduced to The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society by its director, Chris Bean, played by senior Chelsea Grack. Despite innumerable setbacks in previous plays, the director promises a good, low-budget performance of “The Murder at Haversham Manor.”
The murder mystery itself is interesting enough on its own, complete with all of the secrets and betrayals that compose a good whodunit. From multiple affairs, murder, fake murder and a dramatic reveal, the story would be appropriately dramatic if any other drama society was performing it.
However, the incredibly low-budget part of the production quickly becomes apparent as soon as the play begins. Doors get jammed, props constantly keep falling down and the set slowly begins to fall apart. Every misstep always overshadows any level of drama in the scene, to the audience’s immense delight.
The actors also breathe so much life into the characters that they play.
Senior Lizzy Doan is wonderfully dramatic and over the top, easily falling into her roles as a woman prone to hysterics and a cast member always ready to throw hands. Junior Alexa Gameros and sophomore Rosette Le are great as the characters they play in the murder mystery and are hilariously funny as people forget their lines. Senior Julio Rosales is an amazing dead body and has an amusing running gag.
“When you’re actually on stage in front of an audience, when you’re doing this, when you’re making the magic happen, there’s nothing like it,” senior Logan English, who plays Max Bennett, said. “It makes all of the stresses and all of the tiredness, it makes it all worth it.”
Despite all of the mishaps, FVHS Theatre’s actors and set designers effortlessly walk the line between making it feel real while clearly a deliberate part of the show. There is no doubt about the care and work that goes into every prop, every inch of the set and every special effect. The running gags about the broken door or the fallen mantle are especially entertaining.
“There are a couple of special effects that I love, and I think will surprise the audience, especially in Act Two,” senior and stage manager Sage McWilliams said.
The play runs throughout the week from Wednesday to Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at fvhstheatre.com at their online box office.
