With laughter still echoing from last fall, “The Play That Goes Wrong” — a performance where everything hilariously falls apart — is returning for an encore show at Cape Fear Regional Theatre starting Thursday.
And even if you have seen the show before, audiences this time around will be in for a different experience with new additions to the cast and new takes on facial and physical expressions.
CFRT Marketing Director Ashley Owen said the show still hits every single hilarious beat that the audience felt the first time, but with several tweaks.
“It is just enough that it seems like a show you haven’t seen before,” Owen said. “I watched the rehearsal the other night and was howling because it was so good. The physical movement, even an eyebrow quirk, is going to make it feel new.”
One of the new additions is actor Greg King, who joins the production of a play within a play. In “The Play That Goes Wrong,” amateur actors in the Cornley Drama Society stage a production of “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” When the show begins to unravel, it does so unexpectedly and with hilarious results.
But as the cast knows, the show must go on. And no one knows more than King, a Fayetteville favorite who has been in more than 30 shows over the last 28 years here, and who will be stepping into the role of Robert/Thomas Colleymore.
After growing up in Fayetteville and graduating from E.E. Smith High School in 1982, King received his bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from N.C. State in 1986.
He spent the next several years traveling the world and performing on cruise ships before moving to New York City to pursue his acting career. He never expected to be back in the Fayetteville area.
“In 1996, I came down from New York to help my dad with a business venture and stayed,” King said. “It was going to be a temporary trip, but I found that I could balance a successful business life along with acting here.”
He said part of the reason was finding a home at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. One day on a visit, he was offered the role of Frankie in CFRT’s production of “Forever Plaid” by Bo Thorp without auditioning. That first show led to many more, with King playing Hero in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” among many other roles.
“Some of my favorite experiences that people might remember are playing Joseph in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Color Dreamcoat’ [2000], Billy Flynn in ‘Chicago’ [2002] and Tateh in ‘Ragtime’ [2004],” King said.
He said another highlight was his role in the creation and performance, back in 2006, of the original play “Lunch at the Piccadilly” with Thorp, Patty Cucco, Phoebe Hall and Mayon Weeks.
“We created that show from scratch and took it all over the state and to New York,” King said. “It was a big deal.”
“Lunch at the Piccadilly” was inspired, he said, by the Clyde Edgerton novel of the same name and had music by Mike Craver.
From 2017 to 2019, King was cast in five more CFRT productions: “Sense and Sensibility,” “Wait Until Dark,” “Annie,” “The Cake,” and another original production called “Music City.”
In the years since, King has been a huge supporter of the theater and even served as the script reader during last fall’s auditions for “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
“I wanted to do the show when Mary Kate asked me the first time, but I had another commitment so I couldn’t,” King said, referring to CFRT Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke.
When she called him a second time, his answer was yes.
And after a long break, Burke is thrilled to have him back on stage.
“Greg is such an incredible actor and a huge part of CFRT’s history,” Burke said. “It has been such a pleasure watching him take on this role. He is so meticulous in his performance and has found every single moment of humor. His performance is not to be missed!”
Play director Laura Josepher said King has quickly made himself a beloved member of the cast, which she dubbed “their silly troupe of actors.”
“Greg has been both brave and joyful in the rehearsal process,” Josepher said. “It can be quite challenging joining a cast that has already built a working relationship, but his lovely demeanor, professionalism, and preparedness allowed him to jump right in — literally.”
Along with King, two other roles will be played by different actors this run. Jeff Ronan, who in the last production played Jonathan/Charles Haversham, is playing the role of Chris/Inspector Carter, according to Owen. She said he’s flowed seamlessly into this role as he has been in the show a few times in different venues. Another new actor is Khalil LeSaldo, replacing Ronan as Jonathan/Charles Haversham, who Owen said also brings a fresh feel to the show.
“We were lucky to get him and have the majority of our actors return,” Owen said.
Cerina Johnson, Amber Dawn French, Louis Jacques, Matthew Jackson and Charlie Turner were able to return for the encore production of 15 shows.
Owen advises anyone looking to get tickets not to wait, particularly with the show’s short run.
“There are less than 100 seats left across the entire opening weekend, and the performances are limited,” Owen said.
Performances run from through April 7, with 7:30 p.m. shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (with one Wednesday night on March 27) and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. CFRT will not hold performances on Easter Sunday, March 31. The play is rated PG for parental guidance with some mild adult language and comedic violence.
Ticket prices range from $15 to $28. There are also a few special events throughout the run of the show, including “The Party That Goes Wrong” from 6:45 to 7:15 p.m. on March 21, where complimentary snacks and drinks offered before the show have “gone a little wrong (in all the right ways).” A Murder Mystery Trivia night will be hosted on March 22 for teams who want to try to win free concessions from 6:45 to 7:15 p.m. Military Appreciation Night is March 27 and Teacher Appreciation Night is March 29 with 25% off ticket prices.
For more information, visit www.cfrt.org or call the box office at 910-323-4233. Cape Fear Regional Theatre is located at 1209 Hay Street.
Jami McLaughlin can be reached at jmclaughlin@cityviewnc.com or 910-391-4870.
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