“A must-see for fans”
Something has gone seriously wrong with Cornley Drama Society’s production of A Christmas Carol, which is touring the UK in January rather than during the Christmas season – and that’s only the start of the mistakes and expected hilarity. The third in the series of “Goes Wrong” plays from Mischief Theatre, “Christmas Carol Goes Wrong” follows our favourite characters from “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” as they endeavour to perform the Dickens classic, complete with ghoulish special effects, festive dances and a bell-ringing spectacular. For anyone who has seen the previous instalments, the characters will be instantly recognisable (although here they are portrayed by a mix of original Mischief cast and a few new faces), but for those new to the franchise, have no worries – an opening scene involving auditions for the play does a superb job of introducing each of the wannabe thespians. Mischief are some of the finest theatrical comedians around, and this show is no exception, although a few of the jokes wear a little thin and stray too far into absurdity during the second act.
Whereas previous “Goes Wrong” shows have simply portrayed the opening night of the production, “Christmas Carol Goes Wrong” breaks from tradition, with a prolonged prologue that gives us glimpses into the audition process, a Cornley production meeting and the final rehearsal. This is a welcome departure; anyone fearing that this show will simply be “more of the same” need not worry, the opening feels truly innovative and it is nice to spend time with the ‘actors’ when they are not in ‘character’. As director Chris Bean, Daniel Fraser is instantly a man on the edge, his temper already worn thin by previous experiences, and eager to do whatever it takes to make this show a success. It is this passion and drive that allow the audience to instantly connect with him, even if his methods can be a bit harsh at times – think Basil Fawlty with added dramatic flair.
The star of the show is, without a doubt, Henry Lewis’s Robert Grove, whose loud voice and brash attitude cannot fail to draw a laugh from the audience as he bursts into the audition room full of expectations for the lead role of Scrooge. When Bean refuses to cast him, there is an excellent running gag as Grove repeatedly turns up to audition in different disguises, although his continual mixing up of ‘A Christmas Carol’ with other films feels a bit tired after a while – yet with Lewis’s enthusiastic delivery, still manages to coax a reaction from the audience. Unimpressed with his performance, Bean takes the decision to cast himself as Scrooge, telling Grove that the only way he would ever have a chance at playing the lead is if Bean found himself hopelessly incapacitated. Cue Grove trying to find every way possible to remove Bean from the production, resulting in some brilliant slapstick humour that Mischief nail every time.
Perhaps the most endearing character is Jonathan Sayer’s Dennis, who is determined to make friends and even keeps a friendship diary (even though most of the pages are empty). There is an innocence and naivety to Sayer’s performance that fits the role perfectly, as Dennis does whatever it takes to ensure the performance is a success. Dennis’s inability to learn lines (a gag reprised from previous shows) allows the company to find new ingenious ways to incorporate captions into the production, and leads to some wonderful mix-ups, the team playing around Dickens’ words in a way that only Mischief could pull off. The production is so brilliantly put together, it has clearly taken a lot of planning and careful study of Dickens’ original text. Making sure something goes wrong is a very tricky art indeed, but by this point, Mischief are seasoned professionals.
There are plenty of visual gags that are milked for all they are worth, and the show is all the better for it. Nancy Zamit’s Annie portrays the ghost of Christmas past with a ridiculous costume that absolutely complements her zany choreography, whilst Matt Cavendish’s Max takes on the role of every chorus member, featuring a variety of costumes that allows him to transform from one over-acted bystander to another in the blink of an eye. Greg Tannahill’s Jonathan continually struggles with his fear of heights, following PTSD from his role as high-flying Peter Pan, whilst Chris Leask’s lighting and sound engineer Trevor is given more to do here, particularly thanks to the inclusion of the opening scenes as we see him interact with the other actors pre-opening night.
Libby Todd’s set design is carefully constructed to assist the plot, with each piece of scenery used at various points for a visual gag. A brilliant calamity involving Chris’s set model results in some parts of the scenery not quite coming out as planned – to say any more is to spoil the punchlines, but rest assured that this is the comedic highlight of the piece, perfectly set-up during the production meeting and leaving the audience desperate to see the resulting scenery once opening night arrives. There is also a clever bit of stage trickery involving a yellow transit van which perfectly demonstrates the show’s excellent production values.
Not everything works quite as well as one might hope. The second act veers into the absurd with the inclusion of a giant Tiny Tim puppet that feels at odds with the rest of the piece. With so many other avenues the production could have taken for Tiny Tim, is does beg the question why they thought this was their best option. Whilst other “mistakes” have a clear explanation (Dennis mixes up the gold coins and the fake snow, Robert accidentally bends the model lamp post etc.), the inclusion of a giant puppet is never properly elaborated on, besides the fact that “it’s funny” (and even that is questionable). There is also a prolonged section devoted to audience participation, which Fraser manages very well, but again feels out of place within the rest of the show, and following this section, the cast only just keeps control of the audience to prevent any more shouting out.
This is a worthy addition to the “Goes Wrong” franchise, and the fact that it includes an extended “behind-the-scenes” glimpse into rehearsals makes it a must-see for fans, as it offers a new take on previous instalments. This is a fun night out that is full of heart and isn’t too demanding on the brain – an excellent night of entertainment that is silly and yet incredibly clever. The attention that goes into these productions doesn’t go amiss – it is obvious that everything is timed to a tee and every gag carefully considered. Don’t let my previous minor quibbles put you off – this is an excellent show that I would thoroughly recommend.
Tom Morley, January 2026
Review Round-up:
The Guardian: Christmas Carol Goes Wrong review – 4* from the Guardian who say the “production hums with comedic harmony” whilst “the backstage story delivers goodwill”
Rays of Adventure: Christmas Carol Goes Wrong review – Beware of this spoiler-filled review if you haven’t seen the show yet, but Rays of Adventure give an excellent write-up, concluding that “if you enjoy slapstick comedy and pantomime style humour, then this show is definitely a good show to watch”, although admitting that they “didn’t enjoy it as much as their original production”
Theatre & Tonic: Christmas Carol Goes Wrong – 5* from T&T, who say that this show encapsulates “the classic world of Dickens’ classic, mixed with Mischief’s madness – it is hilariously ridiculous”
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