Chekov's gun is a literary rule in which, if something is shown, such as a gun on the wall it must be fired by the end of the story. What if the stage was set, the actors shown, and everything was establish, only for that rule to take place in the most comedic way possible. What if the gun fired, but in the wrong direction, but was done with purpose and to make the audience smile? That is, "The Goes Wrong Show", and I have been really enjoying it lately.
The title alone can tell you a whole story, it can let you know the themes, goals, or general premise of what is about to unfold. "The Goes Wrong Show" is in fact, what the title says it is. A live theater performance, mostly presented in the form of TV episodes but sometimes can have longer, movie like presentations, from the BBC over in England is a complete and total gem. I first saw an episode a few years back but recently not only revisited it, but remembered why I loved it so much the first time I saw it. The actors are mostly the same, but the plays always change, sometimes it's a genre or theme, and others it is a well loved story such as "Peter Pan" or "A Christmas Carol". The play begins, the stage is set after a word from the director, and then.. well the title speaks for itself doesn't it?
Sets falling, prop and costume malfunctions, lines not being understood, mics not being turned off, offstage or behind the scene antics coming into the light of the stage and so much more. Actor's getting knocked out, accents being too heavy, and even in some cases some audience interaction, even if the actor on stage does not want it. Whether in episode form or the longer productions, filmed live on stage with an audience, this is a theatrical comedic romp.
The comedic timing in this whether it is physical or verbal is second to none. The jokes are constantly streaming in one after another, meaning if one doesn't land with you, another that probably will is not far behind. The accidents are amazing, and show amazing stunt work on the team, some can be seen a mile away but are still hilarious while many are surprises. Some are laid out in dialogue but aren't pay offs until they are almost forgotten about, for example in one of my favorite episodes "90 Degrees" which was meant for the heat in this drama play ends up meaning the set is on a slant and leads to great slapstick, there is a line about the set designer being a toy maker beforehand, which means jack in the boxes pop up with great comedic timing.
Some of my favorite gags are when mics are left on, character is broken, or frantic behind the scenes antics are shown. Whether its cast members caught conversing, arguments amongst each other, romantic relations, people out of character, gossip because a mic was left on or someone even buying snacks and being recorded because the mic was left on.
This show can be found on Broadway HD with both hour long specials behind a paywall, one season is on Tubi for free with ads, but I watched this on YouTube which was free with ads, but I have premium which has both seasons of the show, and the "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" hour long special. I love the former, but the latter is my favorite. Using the longer run time and bigger set to make things go wrong in ways I was not expecting, and still laugh at upon rewatches. The stunts, mishaps, and behind the scenes stories that come into the light, lead to amazing running gags, great sight gags, and knowing the perfect amount of time to do a callback or go even bigger. I never knew there would be a version of "Peter Pan" where I would root for the crocodile but trust me, by the end of this if you choose to watch it, you will too. The build up at the beginning leads to jokes that make sense among the senseless, but at times something purely outrageous will happen that is downright hilarious all with great pacing to boot.
Even though the imperceptions of this play are planned, the show is authentic with its audience and just wants to make the audience laugh. The title lets you know what you are in for, but how things go wrong is where the writing shows its comedic strengths.
I highly recommend giving this a try, the show and then if you like it the specials. I hope we get more, because these are so well done, and are just plain funny. comedic Chekov's gun, where anything that can go wrong, most certainly will, and I love that it does.
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