Comic chaos for Christmas

Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue

Mischief Theatre, responsible for the multitude of Goes Wrong comedies, present one of their finest shows, according to the reviews.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

At BroadwayWorld, Kat Mokrynski said it was ‘yet another triumph for Mischief Theatre that is perfect for the holiday season.’ She noted: ‘There are many times when audiences will recognise when a gag is going to happen (for example, when a box of Maltesers is placed into the set model), but it doesn’t stop the bit from being funny – in fact, it tends to add to the hilarity, with the build-up to the reveal only adding to the laughs.’

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Chris Wiegand of The Guardian is a Mischief Theatre fan: ‘in the first half of this Dickensian foul-up, much of the pleasure comes from watching the company spring-load a very familiar crop of gags ready to explode after the break.’ And when that second half comes: ‘As the am-dram players’ lines go out of sync or their dialogue doesn’t match what we see, Matt DiCarlo’s production hums with comedic harmony.’

Alun Hood at WhatsOnStage noted: ‘Christmas Carol Goes Wrong really is uproariously, side-splittingly funny, all the more so because the performances, even at their most manic, keep one eye on some sort of truth.’

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis reported: ‘this revival of their farce about a malfunctioning amateur version of Charles Dickens’s Christmas fable had me laughing out loud. The brash, obvious, knockabout humour is laced with moments of lightning-flash wit and invention.’

The anonymous reviewer for London Theatre Reviews found: ‘A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is exactly what it promises and exactly what you want on a cold winter’s night: sharp, silly, and relentlessly funny. By the final bow, the audience is exhausted with laughter’.

Anya Ryan for Time Out declared: ‘What’s funnier than watching things go wrong? Honestly: not much (…) while the slapstick and mayhem that ensues is hardly new ground for the company, the endless stream of slip-ups is what we’re here for.’

Holly O’Mahony of The Stage admitted: ‘the company’s resident writer-actors Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer are on top form with this spoof of Charles Dickens’ festive favourite, originally developed for the BBC in 2017. The sincere sentimentality of the yuletide story lends itself well to a Mischief treatment, and in director Matt DiCarlo’s production, any would-be heartfelt moment is flipped spectacularly. If you’re a Mischief sceptic (guilty!), it’s a worthy reminder that everyone is worthy of a second chance.’

The Times‘ Clive Davis joined the chorus of approval: ‘It’s no easy job to keep a production teetering on the edge of disaster. These actors know how to fail with a flourish.’

Critics’ average rating 4.1⭑

Value rating 49 (Value rating is the Average Rating divided by the most common weekend ticket price)