The Play That Goes Wrong is a modern show in a timeless tradition: farcical slapstick comedy. Written in 2012 by three Englishmen (Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer), the story about a troupe of actors fighting to put on the show at every moment that it is already going on has become a West End and Broadway hit, with sequels and a television adaptation. 

A hit show for Portland Stage this past January it makes a summer return before the official 51^st season kick off in late September. “It’s a sheer delight to watch,” said Portland Stage Artistic Director Anita Stewart. “Just when you think the actors can’t top what they’ve just done, they do!”

Returning cast members Ross Cowan and Laura Darrell, who play Chris and Sandra, answered questions over email as they fine-tuned the stunts, pratfalls and relentless pacing that make The Play That Goes Wrong the right show for summer fun.

Molly Adams: What is it like to reprise a role and so soon?

Ross Cowan: It feels like a dream. Both in the idiomatic sense that I never thought I’d be lucky enough to reprise a role I loved this much, with a group of people I loved this much and at a theater company and city that I loved this much; and in the literal sense that things feel exactly the same and completely different, like when you’re in your apartment but it’s also your grandmother’s house and it’s also a spaceship. Between that and our fantastic new cast members, Dominic F. Russo and Lipica Shah, I think it’s going to be a really fun, fresh show when it opens this week. The Portland community has fielded some of the best audiences I’ve ever seen.

Laura Darrell: I’ve had that time away to let things marinate and consider other possibilities. Dominic and Lipica are the two people I arguably interact with the most, so it really feels like a new show to me which is exciting. And I’m excited to feel and hear the connection with our audiences again. Their surprise, shock and laughter are great fuel for what we do. Tons of fun. It’s a great day at work.

What’s a physical comedy trick you’ve learned during this production that you will take with you?

Darrell: It’s a physical comedy extravaganza. I’ve learned a lot about door slams, falls and safety during fights. The timing of a punch for instance: You touch your partner first to establish contact on one, the wind up is on two and the punch is on three so both actors understand the rhythm and can anticipate their involvement to avoid injury. It’s crucial to sustain seven to eight shows a week.

Cowan: Our physical comedy coordinator, Michael Trautman, said once that his job was to get us “from standing up to lying on the floor as quickly as possible without getting injured.” I can be on the floor so quickly now! Michael uses a specific technique that traces a line up the body so that when you touch the “line” to the ground inch by inch it looks like you drop like a sack of potatoes even though you’re really just rolling down to the ground in a graceful, controlled manner. I’m going to use that to scare my mom at some point.