Hilarity reigns in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ at Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory

The murder victim is Charles Haversham, who is apparently murdered in the night of a party celebrating his engagement to Sandra.

There’s no shortage of suspects, including his brother, his butler, Sandra’s brother and even the inspector supposedly investigating the crime.

Along the way almost everything goes wrong. Even as the audience is arriving, two stagehands try to attach a mantel piece that refuses to stay put.

After that, actors flub their lines or overact, props aren’t where they’re supposed to be, an elevator acts up, even an upstairs study breaks loose while two actors are on it. The dead man won’t quite stay dead.

Nevertheless, the actors improvise and muddle their way through the show.

When Sandra disappears, for example, the stage manager replaces her and reads her lines in a monotone until the script is knocked out of her hands and out of order.

By the time the finale draws near, everything has descended into chaos.

In the Hillbarn program, one first sees the Cornley cast and crew listed. A few pages later, the Hillbarn cast and crew are named.

In the Cornley version, Chris Bean has multiple duties ranging from playing the inspector to directing and designing the entire production and even handling press duties.

In the Hillbarn version, Chris Bean as Inspector Carter is played by the suave Michael Champlin. Charles, the victim, is played by Fred Pitts.

His brother, the mugging Cecil, who is having an affair with Sandra, is played by Andrew Cope. Sandra is played by Lucy Swinson.

All of them, along with the other four cast members, do terrific work.

They have to because it’s not easy to portray amateurish actors trying to slog their way through a glitch-ridden production, but thanks to director Steve Muterspaugh, Hillbarn’s artistic director, they rise to the challenge and then some.

Credit for the uncooperative set goes to Kevin Davies and Eric Olson. The lighting is by Pamila Gray, sound by Jeff Mockus and costumes by Nolan Miranda.

So if you want to spend two hours (one intermission) laughing a lot, see “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which continues through May 17 at Hillbarn Theater, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

For tickets and information call (650) 867-6411 or visit hillbarntheatre.org.