By John Posada
originally published: 10/26/2022

(DOVER, NJ) -- The smash hit The Play That Goes Wrong is being presented by Dover Little Theatre (DLT) across three weekends (November 4-6, 11-13, and 18-19). This hilarious play is co-directed by Larry and Ruthanne Pelham.  The Play That Goes Wrong introduces us to the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, an amateur theatre troupe which puts on a new production each year. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society's latest show, The Murder at Haversham Manor, sees the group tackle a murder mystery. But the only mystery is why they’d put on a tricky thriller in the first place. Cast members go missing, props go walkabout, and sets crumble away. The Murder at Haversham Manor isn’t so much a murder mystery anymore, but a struggle to get the curtain up. The show must go on, though, and eventually they stumble through. The Play That Goes Wrong is a delightful disaster, full of miraculous mishaps and hilarious happenings.

“We are very excited to be bringing The Play That Goes Wrong to Dover Little Theatre,” said director, Larry Pelham. “It is a hysterical muder mystery gone wrong… literally. Our theater is on the smaller side which was our biggest challenge for bringing a show of this side to our stage, but we have done it and it is truly amazing what we can accomplish. The Play That Goes Wrong will definitely be the can’t-miss show of the season!”

The cast is made up of 8 wonderful community artists including Larry Shagawat (Chris) from Clifton, Russ Cresspolini (Robert) from Randolph, Matthew Fralley (Dennis) from Netcong, Kym Frank (Sandra) from Mount Tabor, Jess Prekel (Annie) from Hopatcong, Greg Louis Mehlin (Max) from Morristown, Eric Heiberg (Johnathan) from Long Valley, and Larry Pelham (Trevor) from Rockaway.

Performances take place November 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, and 19th, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are available at www.DoverLittleTheatre.org. Tickets are $20 per person. Seating is general admission and on a first come, first serve basis. 

The Play That Goes Wrong was written By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. The production is presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. The Mischief Production of The Play That Goes Wrong was originally produced on the West End Stage by Kenny Wax & Stage Presence and on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax & Stage Presence.

Here are more photos from the production.

Dover Little Theatre entertains, educates, and inspires any theatre enthusiast who walks through our doors. We foster a positive environment to create a home for theatrical arts and artists of all kind within the community and beyond. The vision of Dover Little Theatre is to be a place for anyone to feel welcomed and accepted within the performing arts. It is our priority that anyone involved is having fun  Dover Little Theatre is a place for artists, students, and theatre lovers to come together and use their skills to create excellent work.

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. For more than 15 years, John has photographed live events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions. Currently, John has spent the last 3 years concentrating on photographing almost 200 theatre productions for over 70 different theatres. Click here for John's website.

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