Stage Notes: REVIEW: 'The Play that Goes Wrong'; Uptown Players announces 'Silver Foxes' talkback

The cast of ‘The Play that Goes Wrong.’ The show is a co-production of WaterTower Theatre and Stage West. (Photo courtesy Stage West).

Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.

REVIEW: Everything went right at WaterTower’s The Play that Goes Wrong

WaterTower Theatre made it so easy to review its current production. Thanks to director Harry Harker and whip-smart cast, there was practically nothing wrong with The Play that Goes Wrong in its preview night last Friday. And while I’m sure it was frustrating for WTT, they even had a built-in marketing ploy with the ice days screwing up its schedule delaying the original opening.

Talk about timing. When the show was finally able to happen, it was pure comedic magic.

The precision and craft alone in this show were at such a high bar. The special effects were a range of simpler tricks to remarkable stage deconstruction – or maybe destruction. Bryan Stevenson’s set was a puzzle of masterpieces that was as much as a character as the cast.

Speaking of, this cast – jeez. Not a weak link in this funny bunch was to be found nor was a moment wasted onstage to either deliver a laugh or react to the other actors delivering laughs. The cast featured Parker Gray, Drew Denton, Alison Whitehurst, Hannah Bell, Mark Shum, Zak Reynolds, Francisco Grifaldo and Blake Henri.

The tricky part of this is that it’s a show within a show where the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is attempting to put on a show that doesn’t go wrong with its membership of amateur actors. So the WaterTower cast is doing double duty as characters playing characters in The Murder at Haversham Manor, an Agatha Christie-type whodunit.

After his title role in Theatre Three’s Young Frankenstein, Gray continued a strong streak of comedic performances in DFW. His frantic and frustrated delivery as Chris was simply untouchable.

For the scene-chewing Max, Reynolds served up the pomp on a platter with main-character-energy while also egging on the audience for applause.

Mark Shum’s eye roll should be patented ASAP. As Dennis, his character’s distressed physicality and fumbling over words (cyanide has never been funnier) were a fount of golden hilarity. Last seen in Black Comedy at Theatre Arlington, Bell’s wit and timing proved again to be a stage treasure. Henri’s Robert was perhaps the show’s most level-headed character but never short on keeping up with his castmates particularly through his masterful sword fight and his battle with furniture which was nerve-racking and of course, wonderfully outrageous.

Alison Whitehurst’s melodramatic Sandra was elegant slapstick and her physical battle with Bell’s Annie was its own theatrical piece. Grifaldo’s Trevor kicked things off as the show’s stage manager who ultimately became part of the show itself. His low-key role amped up to 60 in no time as Trevor had to step into a character’s part. The majority of Drew Denton’s Jonathan performance was in the second half, but his chaise lounge performance in the beginning was an unexpected centerpiece without having to say much of a word.

Mitchell Piece’s fight choreography throughout the show cannot go unnoticed. What he did with Henri and Reynolds was a wonder as well as the wrestlemania between Bell’s and Whitehurst’s characters.

Beyond the sheer laughs, the production stayed on my mind at how exact each actor had to be with each other and the breathing set. To say this was a remarkable achievement still falls short at how well-crafted and funny this Play was.

The play runs through Sunday. The Play that Goes Wrong is a co-production with Stage West which will open the show Feb. 16-March 11.

The cast of Uptown Players’ world premiere of ‘Silver Foxes.’ (Courtesy photo)

Uptown Players adds talkback to its Silver Foxes world premiere run

Uptown will open the world premiere of Silver Foxes on March 2-12 at the Kalita. The comedy is “about an ensemble of queer men who rescue their best friend from a homophobic assisted living facility. The three older men plus their buddy’s younger Twink lover, navigate stray cats, online hookup sites and the real estate ravenous lesbian couple next door to become a fabulous de facto family in an iconic mid-century Palm Springs house.”

In January, Uptown announced the show’s director as Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Single All the Way).

For even more pedigree, this show is written by James Berg and Stan Zimmerman. The two are Writers Guild of America nominees for episodes of The Golden Girls and Roseanne. The two have also penned shows for Brothers, Fame, Gilmore Girls and others.

Urie, a Plano native, returns home to direct and will also host Resource Center’s Toast to Life event on April 1.

The cast and creative team includes B. J. Cleveland, Leslie Collins, Edson Montenegro, Jon Morehouse and Robert San Juan. The production will be directed by Urie, with scenic design by Kevin Brown and lighting design by Amanda West, properties designer Jane Quetin, hair/makeup designer Michael B. Moore, sound designer Elena Martin, costume designers Suzi Cranford and Breianna Barrington and is stage managed by Lexi Salmon.

The company will also host a special talkback following the matinee performance on May 4. The Q&A will be with both playwright and Urie discussing the creation of the show from words to the stage and the workshops that led to the premiere. The writers will also discuss The Golden Girls for a bit because you know there’s gonna be questions.

Opening this week:

The Dallas Opera: Das Rheingold, Friday- Feb. 18.