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On 4th November 2015, I went to see 'The Play That Goes Wrong' by Mischief Theatre, at the Duchess Theatre. The play is a farcical representation of an amateur theatre company putting on a murder mystery play, and takes the form of a 'play within a play'. The piece presents itself as a comedy - ergo, the actors’ main aim is to make the audience laugh. One actor that struck me as using his movement and physical skills effectively was Adam Byron, the actor that portrayed Max, the inexperienced and dim-witted amateur actor who portrayed Cecil and Arthur.  

The physicalisation that matched the delivery of Byron's first line was effective, as it created comedy. After the line, 'Nonsense!' he put one leg forward and bent it, learning down. He crossed his arms in front of him at ninety degree angles to himself, and then struck them out, in a quick, forceful, direct fashion. He hyperbolically furrowed his brow and widened his eyes, making himself appear outraged. However, the exaggerated nature of the movement, and the fact that he did it so suddenly after the line, made it appear forced. This created comedy for the audience, as it made Max look like a bad actor. After the audience laughed at this movement, Byron broke out of character, and broke the fourth wall within the murder mystery play, noticing and acknowledging the audience with a wide eyed, starstruck look, with raised eyebrows and a slight smile. He moved his head indirectly and sharply, as if taking in the audience looking back at him, and took indirect, slow steps back, as if overwhelmed. This made Max look incongruous to the setting, amongst the other actors who were taking the play seriously. After Max acknowledges the audience, he then repeats the crossed armed movement again, with a trans-fixed facial expression looking out towards the audience. He does the movement in a slower, more indirect, less dramatic way, due to his focus on the audience. This repetition creates comedy, and allows the audience to laugh at Max's inexperience. When they laugh again, Max puts his hands down and grins at them, nodding up and down, looking proud of himself. 

When Dennis, the character playing Perkins in the play, offers Max a Scotch, the audience are aware that it is white spirit due to a large label that was on the bottle when Perkins poured it. When Byron is about to drink it, he creates comedic tension by raising it to his mouth in an exaggeratedly slow fashion, staring at Dennis as he does. He tentatively sniffs the drink, creating comedy, then takes a mouthful. He then suddenly and forcefully spits the white spirit back out, his eyes bulging, his eyebrows raised, jumping backwards and doubling over slightly. After he spits it out, he takes shallow breaths, heaving his chest up and down quickly and furrowing his brow, exaggeratedly frowning at Perkins. He then says, 'That was the best Scotch I've ever had', raising the glass towards Perkins as if to toast him. This movement creates irony for the audience, with perpetuates the comedy of the play.  

Byron engages the audience with his physicality in the scene where he is forced to kiss Sandra, the character playing Florence. Comedy is created from the discrepancy caused by what the characters in 'Haversham Manor' are doing, and what the characters playing them want to do. Byron doesn't want to kiss Sandra, but Robert, the character playing the role of Collymore has missed his cue which is meant to interrupt Max leaning in for a kiss. Byron moves his face towards Sandra’s in a direct, fast manner, anticipating the line – when it doesn’t come, he freezes a little away from her face. When she goes to lean in, he portrays his fear over kissing her by widening his eyes suddenly, raising his eyebrows, and snapping backwards away from her forcefully and suddenly, increasing the proximity between them. After this, portrays his discomfort by squinting slightly, furrowing his brow, and darting his eyes rapidly from left to right as if trying to find a way out of the situation. After a long pause, which builds comedic tension for the audience, Sandra grabs Max’s face and forces him to kiss her. He displays his discomfort by tightly scrunching up his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows, and kicking his legs violently to show how is upper-half is being restrained. The extremes at which Byron goes to display Max’s discomfort in kissing Sandra is farcical in itself due to its exaggerated nature, but also creates irony, due to the contrasting sentiments of Byron’s physicalisation and of lines like ‘Kiss me, I can’t wait a second longer!’. Byron uses movement and physical skills effectively, as he engages the audience by making them laugh.  

I think that part of the reason why Byron engages the audience so much is that he makes his character Max endearing to the audience by using his movement and physical skills. He makes Max seem very childish, inexperienced and naïve – in the moment where the rest of the characters are desperately trying to get an unconscious Sandra through the window, Byron has Max simply stand there and laugh. He looks towards the scene with his head cocked to one side, a wide grin on his face, his eyes creased at the sides in laughter. He laughs loudly at the scene, claps enthusiastically, and innocently looks out at the audience, casting his eyes over them, pointing at the scene. This interaction with the audience engages them, and shows how effectively Byron uses his physical skills.  

In conclusion, Byron uses his movement and physical skills effectively in order to engage the audience, because he creates comedy, and makes the audience laugh. He perpetuates the piece’s farcical nature by enhancing the ridiculousness of highly improbable events and uses hyperbolic physicality to portray an exaggerated character, both used for humorous effect.