We all need a bit of mischief in our lives, but how much Mischief Theatre do we need in the West End? It’s little more than 10 years since this band of (Lamda) drama school graduates, bound by friendship and a passion for comic improvisation, formed on the fringe. Since then, they’ve become populist comedy’s answer to Andrew Lloyd Webber, taking over venue after venue.
Given the cluster of talent this troupe contains (and attracts), it’s hard to begrudge them their imperial ambition. Their knockabout evening of am-dram catastrophe The Play That Goes Wrong, born in a pub in 2012, is a fixture at the Duchess (conquering Broadway and beyond too, a global smash). The Comedy About a Bank Robbery deservedly hogs the Criterion. And now, never mind their looming BBC series, or tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong, these still-youngish scamps have taken up residence at the Vaudeville for a year.
The “Goes Wrong” concept sounds a bit one-trick pony, but they’re happy to continue flogging it: next up is Magic Goes Wrong, co-created with Penn & Teller. But first off, branching out a little, avoiding genre-spoofing, is Groan Ups, an original piece co-devised by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, who also star. The title smacks a tad of John Godber (remember Teechers?), its farcical elements owe something to Michael Frayn (as TPTGW does, a lot), but I was reminded most of Alan Ayckbourn.
