Katherine MacAlister discovers how clowning around and making a disaster of Peter Pan led actors to develop a farcical stage act

Last time I saw Henry Lewis on stage, I was laughing so hard, I could barely breathe.

Unsurprisingly The Play That Goes Wrong has since transferred to the West End, where it won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, but Henry is now back with the next farce from the Mischief Theatre stable, Peter Pan Goes Wrong which will no doubt leave us helpless in the Oxford Playhouse aisles again.

What makes Henry’s success even more applaudable is that he, and fellow cohorts and flatmates Mike Bodie, Josh Elliot and Dave Hearn, started Mischief Theatre in 2008 after leaving LAMBDA to give themselves something to do; writing, producing, acting and directing The Play That Goes Wrong themselves.

Expectations are high then for their next offering Peter Pan Goes Wrong – chosen simply because it’s a classic with lots of potentially farcical elements.

“Yup, the pressure is on,” Henry grins, “but the audiences seem to love it. The responses have been great and more people are turning up this time, so word has obviously spread.

“So while it’s been a challenge to tour a play while running a West End show, we are really pleased with the way things are going.”

I bet he is. Still only 27, Henry and his gang have almost single-handedly revived the whole farce genre. So what is it about a farce that we like so much?

“It’s a British thing I think, a staple.

“But while farce looks easy, it isn’t because it’s very physical and technical. What looks chaotic and accidental is actually very precise and well put together.

“As an actor you have to concentrate really hard on what’s going on because if you miss something it can all start to unravel very quickly. That’s what keeps us on our toes, he says.

“But yes, Mischief Theatre has definitely filled a gap in the market.”

As for the stars, they have to come up with the jokes as well. “We just sit around and clown about until we have something concrete to work with, which means we laugh a lot,” Henry continues. Presumably the ‘Goes Wrong’ format can be applied to almost any story then - Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society putting on a different, disastrous play every time.

“Not necessarily. There are lots of other things we want to do first. We are writing a stage show about a bank heist. We are also in talks to transfer The Play That Went Wrong to Broadway in New York, as well as various TV projects.

We get a huge amount out of it as well, Henry says.

“We just want to to keep working and make the best of it. We are in new territory in the West End and the tour is now in bigger and bigger venues, so we are just keeping our heads down and enjoying the opportunities.

“But what’s even nicer, is still being able to go out on stage every night to do what you’re good at - acting and making people laugh.”

SEE IT
Peter Pan Goes Wrong comes to Oxford Playhouse from Monday, June 22, to Saturday, June 27.
Call the box office on 01865 305305 or book online at oxfordplayhouse.com