The Play That Goes Wrong, Birmingham Hippodrome - review with pictures

And that was just me. Mind you, the rest of the first night's audience were as equally delighted if the constant head-back chortling and pure volume of noise was anything to go by.

The Play that Goes Wrong - a platform for the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s production of Murder at Haversham Manor - is a masterclass in farce even before it begins.

Trevor - lights and sound and Duran Duran fan - made an impassioned plea for a lost dog in the bar as stagehands were still building the play's set as we took our seats.

One member of the audience even scored a starring role supporting a mantlepiece and trying to push a broom before the curtains came up.

An introductory speech, which brings many a school play back into focus, and the sight of the murder victim taking his position, quite visibly on the chaise longue, marked the start of the performance.

What followed was a two-hour romp through almost every theatre blunder you could imagine.

You see a dead man’s hand move, ripped up paper is thrown up into the air as snow, props are in the wrong place or non-existent, lines are forgotten, actors abseil from collapsed room sets and the ones that don’t are knocked out by slamming doors and tea trays.

There are two murders, an inspector and a grandfather clock somewhere in the plot, but who cares. At one moment the play descended into behaviour regularly seen at pantomime performances, with the whole audience being reprimanded for laughing. We just couldn't stop.

There was a lot of hamming-up, hand gestures and posturing. One of the best at it had to be Bobby Hirston, who seemed to be channelling the mannerisms of comedian Vic Reeves as he stared out, mesmerised into the audience, acting so hard he appeared to be using sign language.

Elena Valentine and Catherine Dryden also delivered amazing performances, literally fighting for the role of femme fatale Florence, and covering every inch of the stage and beyond with their hilarious parrying.

The show is quick, slick and a feel-good treat. See scenery being wrestled to the floor, hear clocks strike 14, spot a head emerging from the fireplace, lose yourself in the glorious nonsense and you’ll whistle as loudly as me. The show runs until Saturday.