…..SoSuterBill…..

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BY BILLY SUTER

HOW would you like to be one of three of this site’s followers who will each win two tickets to see the first production of the year from Durban’s award-winning KickstArt theatre company – a riotous stage comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong, which director Steven Stead has described as “hilarious, anarchic and down-right dangerous”?

See the end of this article for competition details.

The Play That Goes Wrong, which is to run at Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from April 6 to 29, is about a bunch of bumbling amateur actors putting on an ill-fated murder mystery.

The UK production had a sold-out, two-year run in London, and the show recently opened in New York. Pieter Toerien’s touring South African production last year had sold-out seasons in Joburg and Cape Town.

“It’s the kind of thing that I like to do as a challenge, and we haven’t done a play for some time, so we felt like this was a good one to tackle with a broad public appeal,’ says Stead of a play that will feature Johannesburg’s James Cuningham and Durban favourites Iain ‘Ewok’ Robinson, Michael Gritten, Bryan Hiles, Liesl Coppin, Mthokozisi Zulu, Daisy Spencer and Adam Dore.

Described as Fawlty Towers meets Noises Off, The Play that Goes Wrong is a fairly new production, premiering in London in 2012, which went on to win every major award on the London stage, including the 2014 WhatsOnStage Winner for Best New Comedy; 2015 BroadwayWorld UK winner for Best New Play; 2015 Olivier Award for Best Comedy; 2017 Broadway.Com winner Favourite New Play and 2017 BroadwayWorld (global) winner for Best New Play.

Many TV viewers will remember the delicious excerpt they did for the 2015 Royal Variety Concert (which is well worth viewing on YouTube).

The premise is an amateur dramatics company is putting on a 1920’s murder mystery, The Murder at Haversham Manor, in a similar vein to the acclaimed The Mousetrap. However, as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong…does!

In factWhat’sOnStage bills it as “It is as if The Mousetrap has been taken over by Monty Python.”

Even before the play starts, the audience sees the technical team doing last-minute adjustments to the set, including trying to mend a broken mantelpiece and to find a misplaced dog. The inexperienced, accident-prone luckless thespians battle against the odds to make it to their final curtain call with the set still standing, with hilarious consequences.

The Play that Goes Wrong is directed by Steven Stead and designed by Greg King.

Tickets range in price from R180 to R230 and performances will be at 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, and also at 2.30pm on Saturday, and 4pm om Sunday.

For schools’ performances, charity fundraisers or block bookings of 50 or more, contact KickstArt Theatre via email:kickstart@letni.co.za.

Also, note the Early Bird Special Offer on ALL shows: but eight tickwets and get two free. This offer is available through Computicket up to the first performance of the production.

WIN ONE OF THREE SETS OF DOUBLE TICKETS TO ‘THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’

To put yourself in line to win one of THREE sets of double tickets to attend KickstArt’s The Play That Goes Wrong at Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, at 7.30pm on April 6, you simply have to be a follower of my site. At no cost.

If you are not already a follower, simply leave your email address in the space provided at the end of the cover page of  this site, sosuterbill.com

You will then be a follower, and receive email notification whenever I file a new story.

Once you have subscribed (there is no cost), send your NAME and PHONE NUMBER via email to sosuterbill@gmail.com and place the words ‘PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’  in the subject field.

The three lucky winners of double tickets were chosen and notified after 6pm on Monday, April 2. They were Sharmin Stewart, Debra Hazel and Alain de Coriolis. Well done!