The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis

Author:Henry Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781474244978
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

INTERVAL ACTIVITYA few minutes into the interval the safety curtain begins to come down, it stops a foot or two from the floor. Trevor enters and quietly pushes it down.

Robert appears in auditorium/foyer in a robe and joins the queue for ice creams. Chris appears and sends him backstage.

Act Two

Dramatic house music plays.

The house lights fade and Chris once again emerges from in between the tabs. A spotlight picks him out of the darkness.

ChrisGood evening again, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have enjoyed the break, we will be resuming this evening’s performance in just a couple of moments I am assured. I must say I’m delighted to see that so many of you have returned for the second half.

Obviously I would be lying if I said the first act went entirely as rehearsed; there were one or two minor snags, which you may or may not have picked up on. But they are snags that would occur on any opening night and this certainly hasn’t been the worst first act Cornley Polytechnic has seen, by some stretch.

Last year our production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat got off to a shaky start when we didn’t realise that our set designer suffered from colour blindness. Anyway, before we begin again, one word of . . .

Chris is interrupted by Trevor’s voice offstage over his radio.

Trevor (over radio)It’s going quite badly to be honest.

ChrisBefore we resume the . . .

Trevor (over radio)Yeah, she’s unconscious, and we still can’t find the dog . . .

ChrisBefore we resume the production one word of health and safety administration; can I please ask anyone who consumed one of the raspberry-ripple flavoured ice creams available during the interval to please seek medical help immediately.

And now, without further ado, please put your hands together for the concluding act of The Murder at Haversham Manor.

He exits.

Introduction music plays and the tabs fly out, revealing Annie, Max, Robert, Dennis, Jonathan and the Stage Crew all re-hanging the picture, voice-pipe funnels, barometer, curtains etc. on the walls. They see the audience. Chris enters from the wings outraged. The house tabs stop and fly back in. Beat. The house tabs fly back out, revealing Robert, Dennis, Chris and Annie in their positions from the end of Act One. Jonathan and Max have gone. All wall hangings are back in position. Beat.

DennisNo one . . .

All wall hangings crash down to the floor.

No one could have killed them, except for the people in this room.

ChrisGood God, you’re right, it’s one of us!

All gasp.

Annie (reads from her script)This is a disaster.

RobertAnd it’s not over yet! Two murders on one night at Haversham Manor, what a grizzly evening.

AnnieFrightful, brother, frightful.

DennisAnd look, Mr Colleymoore, the snowstorm outside is building.

Max appears in the window and throws snow out.

RobertIf we’re not careful we’ll be snowed in to this slaughterhouse. We must discover the guilty man.

ChrisIndeed. The gunshots were heard coming from the library. I shall investigate the room. All of you remain here.

He exits through the downstairs door.

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