鈥淭he object of farce is to provoke mirth of the simplest and most basic kind: roars of laughter rather than smiles.鈥濃�擜 Dictionary of Literary Terms, by J.A. Cudden
English lit majors look to Aristophanes as the original comedic playwright. Maybe so, but I suspect he is merely the beneficiary of an astute librarian who saved some of his plays from destruction. Personally, I suspect there was an earlier comedy innovator, a Sheckystophanes, whose works were lost but Aristophanes probably ripped off. Call it a hunch.
There are many forms of comedy: morals, manners, ideas, intrigue; burlesque, and black comedy; drawing-room, domestic, romantic. There is the Theatre of the Absurd; commedia dell鈥檃rte; commedia erudita. There is satire, parody and lampoon whereby groups, ideas, individuals are ridiculed for the sake of provoking laughter in an audience.
And there is farce. Its sole purpose is to trigger belly laughs. Farce combines exaggerated physical action and characterization with absurd situations, improbable events and surprise after surprise. With one goal in mind: mirth and merriment for the audience.
All the attributes of farce are presented enthusiastically in the stage production of 鈥淭he Play That Goes Wrong,鈥� by our own Theatrikos Theatre Company. This marvelous play-within-a-play is directed by Jan Rominger. My wife and I had an opportunity to attend an early performance, and we both enjoyed ourselves immensely.
The play was written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. It was first produced in 2012, and ever since critics have raved: Ben Brantly of the New York Times, 鈥淎 Gut-busting Hit;鈥� Variety, 鈥淐omic Gold!鈥�
The premise is this: It is opening night for the Cornley Drama Society鈥檚 production of a 1920s whodunit, 鈥淭he Murder at Haversham Manor.鈥� The society鈥檚 players and crew are determined to present the play as best they can despite circumstances over which they have little, if any, control. It is community theater at is most earnest and most inept.
鈥淭he accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call ... . Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes.鈥�
Our talented Theatrikos cast is adept in their simultaneous roles as members of the Cornley Drama Society and as members of the cast of 鈥淭he Murder at Haversham Manor.鈥�
In order of appearance:
Trevor - Mike Kennedy (Lighting and Sound Operator)
Annie - Staci Dickens (Stage Manager)
Chris - Jacob Parafiniuk (Head of the Drama Society, directed the play, and is Inspector Carter)
Jonathan - Aaron Luckey plays Charles Haversham
Robert - Nick Rabe plays Thomas Colleymoore
Dennis - Al Armitage plays Perkins
Sandra - Molly Parafiniuk plays Florence Colleymoore
Max/Arthur the Gardener - Stephen Root
Providing comic mishaps galore, the complex set is a marvel and a character in itself.
This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a very, very funny play. I am grateful that Theatrikos is bringing this play to Flagstaff.
May 8 to June 1 at the Theatrikos mainstage, located at 11 W. Cherry Ave., Flagstaff. Tickets are available online at .