The laughs keep coming and coming and coming as the mishaps keep piling up in Peter Pan Goes Wrong, the side-splittingest show to play the Ahmanson since The Play That Goes Wrong had audiences rolling in the aisles four years back.

The premise behind Mischief Theatre’s latest is the same one that made TPTGW an international blockbuster and The Goes Wrong Show a BBC TV smash, namely that the fictional Cornley University Drama Society has once again bitten off more than it can chew in attempting to put on a show without the technical skills or talent know-how to prevent one stage disaster after another from taking place.

This time round, it’s a much beloved children’s classic that goes wrong, very wrong, a tale that’s familiar to anyone who’s read the J.M. Barrie classic, watched its Disney animated screen adaptation, or seen Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, or Cathy Rigby flying high above the stage on Broadway, on tour, or on NBC.

Greg Tannahill defies gravity as the titular Peter, whose late-night visit to a London home is just the beginning of an unforgettable adventure for the Darling offspring: Wendy (Charlie Russell), John (Jonathan Sayer), and Michael (Matthew Cavendish), accompanied by fairy Tinker Bell (Nancy Zamit, looking suspiciously like both Mrs. Darling and Darling maid Lisa) on a journey to Neverland, where the dastardly Captain Hook (Henry Shields, looking suspiciously like Mr. Darling) reigns supreme.

Completing the cast of characters are Henry Lewis as Darling family pooch Nana and pirate Sharkey, Harry Kershaw as pirate Cecco, Ellie Morris as Neverland waif Tootles, Chris Leask as the Stage Manager, Ryan Vincent Anderson as the Assistant Stage Manager, and three-time Primetime Emmy winner Bradley Whitford as the evening’s narrator.

If only things proceeded as smoothly as the folks at Cornley University Drama Society had planned.

Such, however, is not the case, and if anything could possibly go wrong in bringing Peter Pan from page to stage, you can rest assured it will.

Props are either missing or they malfunction, lighting cues come either too early or too late (that is when there’s not a total blackout), backstage mikes that are supposed to be muted aren’t, pooches get stuck in doggy doors, unexpected injuries necessitate last-minute cast replacements, and woe befall anyone who attempts to fly.

All of this adds up to two hours of non-stop hilarity thanks to Lewis, Sayer, and Shield’s brilliantly inventive script, Adam Meggido’s inspired direction, a crackerjack design team, and a cast of Mischief regulars who deserve hazard pay for service above and beyond the call of duty.

And matching them in mischief and mayhem every step of the way is special guest star Whitford, who makes sure to slip in a few jabs at money-hungry Hollywood producers who’ve made it necessary for him to return to live theater during the ongoing strike.

Last but not least, never has a production design team done more to see that their designs go wrong in the most ingenious of ways than(scenic designer Simon Scullion, costume designer Roberto Surace, lighting designer Matt Haskins, and sound designer Ella Wahlström.

Steven James Anthony, Blair Baker, Bartley Booz, and Brennan Stacker are understudies. Adam John Hunter is production stage manager. Daniel Dae Kim is set to take over for Whitford beginning August 30 and Neil Patrick Harris takes over for Kim on September 12.

I fell in love with Mischief when The Play That Goes Wrong visited L.A. in 2019, then fell even harder when I binged The Goes Wrong Show on YouTube.

Expect to fall every bit as hard yourself when you see Peter Pan Goes Wrong, easily the summer’s most uproarious hit.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles. Through September 17. Tuesdays through Fridays at 8:00. Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00. Sundays at 1:00 and 6:30.
www.CenterTheatreGroup.org

–Steven Stanley
August 11, 2023
Photos: Jeremy Daniel

Tags: Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer, Los Angeles Theater Review, Sir J.M. Barrie