‘The Play That Goes Wrong’: Meta comedy to take over Lebowsky state April 21

This is by design, of course. The show these thespians are putting together for local theatre-lovers is a rendition of “The Play That Goes Wrong” — an Olivier-award-winning meta comedy that debuted at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London in 2012 and had a Broadway run from 2017-2019.

Wednesday evening’s rehearsal saw cast and crew laboring diligently to ensure that their production will be full of the line flubs, prop failures and other catastrophes that give the show its name.

In “The Play That Goes Wrong,” the fictitious Cornley University Polytechnic Drama Society, attempts to stage the (equally fictitious) 1920s murder mystery, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” only for one calamity after another to befall the beleaguered bunch. The leading lady falls unconscious. The production’s “corpse” can’t play dead. Things fall from the ceiling. Hilarity ensues.

The initial London run of the show received general critical acclaim, with Tim Walker of The Telegraph giving it four out of five stars and saying, “I have seldom, if ever, heard louder or more sustained laughter in a theatre.”

The eight-member cast putting on the Lebowsky version is directed by Lansing resident Heath Sartorius. He has previously directed four full-production plays, including “Incognito” and “A Behanding in Spokane” in the Lansing area.

This is Sartorius’ second time participating in a Lebowsky production, and his first as a director: He played Tripp Davenport in Lebowsky’s 2021 production “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.”

Sartorius says he grew up watching British sitcom “Mr. Bean” and actor Charlie Chaplin, and is a huge fan of the physical comedy that is a hallmark of “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

“I had seen clips of (“The Play That Goes Wrong”) online, and I got very excited because it seemed like a fun show. Seeing all the gag after gag and how one funny physical thing lead to another just reminded me of stuff I’ve always loved and been passionate about. It was really fun to get my hands into making all those jokes work,” he said.

Sartorius is pleased with the cohesion his cast is showing at this stage of rehearsing.

“It’s really great because I’ve probably worked in some capacity with every one of these actors before, and I think each actor in this show has worked with at least two of the other actors before, so I think that sense of camaraderie and that sense of being in a show like this with people you know and people you have fun with really allows the idea of the cast to play and feel comfortable with each other, which I think is really necessary for a comedy like this,” Sartorius said.

Sartorius said his eight actors range from about 25 to 40 years old.

Forty-year-old East Lansing resident Adam Carlson is playing Cornley PDS Director Chris Bean in the Lebowsky’s “Play That Goes Wrong.” He says he’s thoroughly enjoying the role thus far.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous. There’s a lot of people staring and angrily glaring at (the society) when they get something wrong, which is quite a bit fun,” Carlson said.

Carlson said his past roles in Lansing-area shows have included Macduff in “Macbeth” and Reuben Soady in “Escanaba in da Moonlight.”

“The Play That Goes Wrong” includes a number of “fight” scenes. The choreographic mastermind of this is Rich Kopitsch, who also plays Society member Jonathan Harris in the production.

Kopitsch, 31, currently lives in Laingsburg. He has been participating in theatre productions for almost 10 years in the Lansing area, including playing the role of Clark in a Lansing Community College production of “None of the Above.” This will be his first Lebowsky production.

Kopitsch said he looks forward to playing “the worst dead guy you’ll ever see” in “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

“I’m constantly moving, I’m constantly reacting, and even falling off of things,” he said. “I enjoy how wonderfully wacky this play is, because anyone who’s done theater knows that things go wrong, but doing things wrong on purpose has been so against the grain it’s been fun to do.”

The cast also includes Anasti Her, Ian Whipp, John Lerma, Quinn Kelly, Sarah Hayner and Steve Lee.

Show dates are April 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 8 p.m.; and April 23 and 30 at 3 p.m.

Tickets range from $14-22 and are currently on sale at lebowskycenter.com, or by calling the box office, (989) 723-4003, on Mondays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.