I did not have specific plans to see
The Play That Goes Wrong again. But there was a ticket available in the front row for yesterday's matinée at only £25, and... look, the point is that I don't think I can be held accountable for my actions.
Sitting in the front row was so much fun! I've only previously seen
The Play That Goes Wrong from the back of the dress circle. The Duchess is a small theatre, so even the view from the very back is a good one, but there's a lot you pick up in the front that you might miss otherwise: facial expressions, muttered or whispered lines. (The 'this is an actual play going awry' conceit of
The Play That Goes Wrong means that the 'actors' will sometimes mutter or hiss at each other in a 'this isn't intended to be heard by the audience' way you wouldn't usually see in a regular play.)
The whole cast was great, but I'm thrilled to report that I loved the depiction of Robert in particular! Because I'm so attached to Robert as played by Henry Lewis, I can be a little nervous about seeing other actors in the role, but I thought Will Bishop's Robert was fantastic; he's easily my favourite Robert I've seen after Lewis's. He's an understudy, so I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see him!
Before the play, Chris pursued Trevor down the aisle next to my seat. "We've got to be up in six minutes - don't run away from me! What are you doing? Trevor, what are you doing?"
They ended up standing at the other end of the front row, in front of the stage, having a quiet argument. I could make out occasional snippets: Trevor telling Chris, "It's not
my fault," or saying, "Tell him what happened," to the audience.
Eventually, Chris grabbed Trevor by the front of his T-shirt and shoved him against the lip of the stage. "Whoa!" Trevor exclaimed.
Chris kept him pinned there for a couple of seconds, then let go and stalked away while Trevor demanded of the audience, "Did you see that??"
( The Play That Goes Wrong, 11 October 2026. )In the interval, Trevor came by my seat and asked me and my seat neighbour whether we'd seen the missing dog.
Me: Could you ask one of the human actors to play it instead?
Trevor: I could try, but I don't know if they'd go for it. Robert would be furious.
Me: Maybe he'd just be glad to have more stage time.
Neighbour: (to Trevor) Maybe you could play it yourself.
Trevor: Yeah, right. Can you imagine me on that stage? How about one of you?
Me: I don't know if I'd be much good at barking.
Neighbour: I've got three poodles at home.
Me: So you're qualified!
Trevor: Could you get one of them over here?
Neighbour: They're in Belfast.
Trevor: Yeah, probably cutting it a bit fine. Let me know if you think you can get them here, though. At least someone's taking this seriously.
He handed me a flyer and walked away.
I was so pleased to receive this; what a cool souvenir!
I showed the flyer to the woman next to me, and we got chatting. I asked her about her dogs. She asked if I had any dogs of my own.
"I have two cats," I said.
"Older or younger?" she asked.
"Than... me?" I asked, bewildered.
She was asking whether they were on the older or younger side for cats, it turns out! I was very confused for a moment.
(I've ended up chatting with fellow audience members at most of the Mischief shows I've been to, come to think of it! Something about these silly plays really brings people together.)
A thoroughly enjoyable theatre visit! The only problem is that I now find myself hoping to see Will Bishop in the role of Robert again, but he's an understudy, so it's unlikely to happen unless I personally incapacitate the principal actor.
Mischief, if you're listening: this man should be your Robert in the next cast reshuffle. You've got the perfect person for the role right here. Give me some professionally shot promotional photographs of Bishop's Robert for my website, while you're at it.
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