Groan Ups take audience on hilarious journey at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
A small but appreciative crowd had tears running down their cheeks at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre last night as Mischief Theatre presented their latest comedy, Groan Ups.
This company set the bar extremely high with their previous productions which have included the West End smash hit, The Play That Goes Wrong and in a similar vein, Peter Pan Goes Wrong. It’s all in the title really. Anything with the wording “goes wrong” or “Groan” in the branding promises a silly comedy guaranteed to make you cringe and laugh in equal measure.
So, does Groan Ups live up to its predecessors? Not exactly, but then it would be wrong to make comparisons as this is a quite different type of play, yet still retains the crazy, quirky style we have come to know Mischief Theatre for.
Act One is pure comedy, while Act Two tends to drift aimlessly between comedy and drama, which rather than creating a poignant atmosphere, simply confuses. It’s reminiscent of a 1970’s farce, with a smattering of toilet humour and teen angst. Too much? Definitely.
Written by three of the original members of the company, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, it is the tale of five six-year-olds who meet at infant school and then we follow their journey through the teenage years and into adulthood. They are an odd little band, each with quite different personalities all of whom have their own place within the group and the main purpose of the plot is to remind us how simple life is in the in beginning, getting increasingly complicated as we grow.
Unfortunately, a pet hate of mine is adults acting as children, but there is no doubt that the quality of performance by Mischief Theatre is exceptional. Physical comedy is perhaps the hardest skill to pull off successfully and add to that the task of performing several different ages within a life cycle all in a period of a couple of hours, and any actor has a challenge on their hands.
Among a cast of such talented actors, it feels unfair to single any one performer out, but Matt Cavendish portrays the downtrodden, yet annoying Simon to such perfection that you can actually feel his frustration at trying to increase his popularity within the group.
There is also a hilarious performance by Jamie Birkett as Chemise, Simon’s fake girlfriend, with exceptional comedic timing and stage presence.
Kirsty Partick Ward’s direction is frantic, yet perfectly depicts the way in which the different age groups would behave and the scenery is colourful and shrinks in size as the performers grow which is extremely effective.
Groan Ups is a watered-down version of the company’s previous offerings but will definitely appeal to those with a childish sense of humour who enjoy madcap comedy with a couple of predictable thought-provoking moments thrown in for good measure.
This play is not the best this company has to offer by far, and audiences will either love it or hate it. That said though, the extremely talented Mischief Theatre will have no problem moving on to their next new project and keeping the art form of comical farce alive for years to come.
Runs until Saturday. Call 01902 429212 or visit www.grandtheatre.co.uk for tickets.
