Apollo Theatre

There is not real lyan official description for arch mentalist Derren Brown’s latest solo show and really, why would he need one? Expect provocative tricks and illusions dispatched with lashings of extremely knowing humour, with spectacular set-pieces and some cheeky bits of mind control.

What’s funnier than watching things go wrong? Honestly: not much. Building on the theatrical mishaps of the previous Goes Wrong hits (notably West End long-runner The Play That…), Mischief Theatre’s proper laugh out loud spin on A Christmas Carol sees the hapless Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society return with a new Christmas show. And while the slapstick and mayhem that ensues is hardly new ground for the company, the endless stream of slip-ups is what we’re here for. Things begin in the audition room, as steely director Chris sets about casting the play. From the start there’s disaster upon disaster – prospective performers read scenes from films rather than the actual play, the resident dimwit Dennis (Jonathan Sayer) insists Bob Cratchit is actually a frog, and Robert (Henry Lewis) will do just about anything to play Scrooge. To no one’s surprise, though, Chris – who shares some striking qualities with Scrooge himself – casts himself in the leading role. But surprise, surprise, everything that could possibly spiral out of control absolutely does. Written by Mischief’s co-founders Lewis, Sayer and Henry Shields, many of the big gags are set up in the early rehearsal section of the play, with the payoff coming later. It’s a script that leaves no loose end – every single line has a worthwhile, deliciously funny purpose. The play within the play follows Dickens’ story closely: Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley, and then the three spirits who aim to show him the error...