I Created A West End Hit That Went Wrong Around The World | Mayhem, Mishaps, and Mischief Theatre - Jonathan Sayer
· 1 h 04 min · S2 E6
Episode I Created A West End Hit That Went Wrong Around The World | Mayhem, Mishaps, and Mischief Theatre - Jonathan Sayer
Jonathan Sayer knows better than most what happens when theatre goes wrong. As one third of the writing team behind Mischief Theatre, he helped create The Play That Goes Wrong, A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and The Comedy About Spies - shows that have gone from humble beginnings to international success, playing everywhere from the West End and Broadway to stages in more than 50 countries.
But when it comes to things going wrong, Jonathan has stories of his own. From spectacular set malfunctions to improvised lines he wishes he could take back, Jonathan has an extraordinary catalogue of backstage chaos. And for the first time, he shares what he considers the worst moment of his career: a story involving a harness, a toilet, and a ticking time bomb of a disaster.
Alongside all this, we hear how understudies in his shows have saved the day time and again - including one of the most unbelievable understudy stories we've ever heard, complete with a transatlantic twist.
We also explore the journey of Mischief Theatre, from its very early days to becoming a global theatrical phenomenon, and what Jonathan has learned about navigating success, and why he’s learning to spend more time appreciating what’s already in front of him.
And despite having created a role played by hundreds of actors around the world, Jonathan is full of admiration for the understudies and swings who keep theatre running. He tells us why he finds what they do extraordinary, why he couldn't imagine doing it himself, and what makes their work so essential.
Jonathan Sayer - You’re On Tonight.
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Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.
Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.
For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.
Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk
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