It’s a classic murder mystery story: there has been an suspicious death at a country manor, everyone is a suspect, and an inspector arrives on the case to find who the culprit is. However, when this play is performed by the accident-prone thespians of The Cornley Drama Society, everything that can go wrong does. In this clever, manic and hilarious piece of mischief theatre, Dundas Little Theatre’s company demonstrates all the comedic and anxiety-inducing mishaps that every theatre company loves (and dreads) simultaneously.
There’s an inauspicious sense of things about to go terribly wrong from the moment the audience enters the theatre to find a frazzled crew (Elaine Hale, Ky Moruzi, Alicia Nunn and Luis Arrojo) attempting to finish the set and repair props and search for a dog named Winston who has gone missing. The crew attempts to enlist some audience help, much to their inevitable despair that nothing is ready but the show must go on.
The Society, fresh from surviving their not fully cast productions of The Lion and The Wardrobe, summer musical Cat and the budget ridden James and the Peach, is putting on a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor – a 1920’s murder mystery play, similar to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. The cast is headed and introduced by Chris Bean (performed by the charmingly baffled Chris Cracknell), who plays Inspector Carter and serves as the show's director, set designer, costume designer, prop maker, box office manager, press and PR person, voice and dialect coach, and fight choreographer. This production, we are told, is his directorial debut and his determination to see things go smoothly only adds to the foreboding sense that nothing will.
The entire cast and crew must play the show seriously while the chaos unfolds around them. It is a testament to the intense rehearsal process they endured to ensure every scripted mishap seemed natural and purposeful. The exaggerated moments, repetitive fumbles and melodramatic delivery only adds to the hilarity, leaving the audience in stitches of laughter as the set legitimately crumbles around them. From Johnny Thirakul’s incredible physical comedic timing (and bravery) to Michael Wilmot’s befuddled antics and mispronunciations, every member of the cast was born to do this kind of comedic theatre. David Gibel shines as Cecil, who debuts not only within the show’s universe but also with Dundas Little Theatre and is delightful with his fourth wall breaks and boyish excitement. Trinty Ozimok is masterful with her melodramatic performance as Florence. The only small nitpick comes from a few moments being drawn out (in particular the upstaging battle between the stage manager Annie and lead diva Sandra/Florence) which almost makes the high energy fervour of the show lose its momentum. That being said, with mischief plays it’s hard to tell what’s on purpose and what’s not so you simply have to accept it all as part of the experience.
Director and actor Elaine Hale is courageous for directing and participating in this season opener. Hale must certainly have a deep love of mischief theatre with the astounding attention to detail in every technical and physical element within the production. The set is its own character and Dundas Little Theatre’s set design team has gone above and beyond. To say more would spoil the fun but know that they deserve the highest praise for what must have taken months to build, test and rehearse with. The audible gasps of fear and relief from Sunday’s matinee audience prove how clever and effective each staged mishap was. There is clearly an enormous amount of trust in the cast and crew who are rewarded with heaps of laughter and applause throughout (especially after those harrowing physical comedy moments).
If you have never experienced mischief theatre before, now is the time. Dundas Little Theatre has achieved a jaw-dropping and uproariously funny crowd pleaser. You definitely don’t want to miss out on all the in-jokes and laughs from the show’s double program to the final bows. I also am demanding that they follow through with producing Equus next season.
Enjoy the mayhem and mischief on now until November 22!
All photography by: Keith Sharp
Image 1: Johnny Thirakul and Chris Cracknell
Image 2: Trinity Ozimok and Andrew Finnigan
Image 3: Alicia Nunn, Ky Moruzi and Elaine Hale
Image 4: Johnny Thirakul, Trinity Ozimok and Michael Wilmot
