Interview: Peyton Crim of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Aronoff Center For The Arts

"The Play That Goes Wrong" is wreaking havoc on the Aronoff Center from Nov. 27 - Dec. 2 as a part of the 2018-2019 Broadway in Cincinnati Series. The riproaring comedy has had tremendous success on Broadway, and now they have decided to bring it to cities across America!

Peyton Crim, who plays Robert, talked to us about what the rehearsal process was like, what he learned from his alma mater OCU, favorite onstage mishap, and more in the interview below.

Anne: "The Play That Goes Wrong" has been a smash hit on Broadway, and now you all get to take it on the road! What drew you to this show?

Peyton: The show wasn't on my radar until some months after it opened on Broadway. As more and more of my friends had an opportunity to see it at the Lyceum, more and more of them started telling me "there's a great role for you in this show. You even look and sound alarmingly similar to the original guy! (The alarmingly talented Henry Lewis)" So I went and checked it out and sure enough the show's brand of comedy, and the character of 'Robert' in particular, were right in my wheelhouse. I went in as soon as they posted the next round of auditions.

Anne: Considering that this is the first national tour of TPTGW, what has the rehearsal process been like? Are there any differences from the Broadway production?

Peyton: Because of the *extreme* technical nature of the show, we were blessed with the opportunity to rehearse on the broadway stage. The set is a character unto herself, and the producers saw the value in letting her rehearse with us. As far as differences go, the jokes are all the same, but the energy of our cast is all our own.

Anne: This is your first national tour! What has your favorite part of tour been so far? Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to in Cincinnati?

Peyton: 7 Years ago I was given the opportunity to travel with a small production of THE MUSIC MAN, and I would not be lying in saying I have now experienced the different ends of the spectrum in regards to touring a show in North America. Moving from 'overnighters' to One, Two, or Five week sit downs completely changes the game. Having the opportunity to put my feet up for a minute in each city and see how the locals live is a genuine pleasure. This is my first time visiting Cincinnati, so I am excited to see what unexpected treasures she holds!

Anne: You've gotten to do some incredible shows recently: "Brigadoon" at City Center Encores!, and "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" at the Irish Repertory Theater, just to name a few. Are there things that you learned while working on those that you bring with you to TPTGW?

Peyton: I'm thankful for those two experiences, as they clued me in to the fact that I'm truly a working professional now, so I should probably learn my lines.

Anne: You are an OCU alum! What is something you learned there that you have carried with you into your career?

Peyton: Oklahoma City University is world renowned for its top tier dance school, training thousands of successful broadway dancers participating in dozens of Tony winning shows. It showed me in my first semester that I am not a dancer.

Anne: Since the play's name is "The Play That Goes Wrong"... do you have a favorite onstage mishap that has happened to you in the past?

Peyton: A stage mishap that I keep returning to is a big hearted, but very small, production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that tried to fly me through a *very generous* amount of smoke during the Beast' transformation. The smoke was as such that the person hooking me to the flight rig could not see if I was successfully secured, so of course I was hoisted through the air clamped only on one side, spinning like a beaten piñata screaming for my life.

Anne: Finally, what is something you want the audience to take away from the play?

Peyton: I want them to have 2 hours of pure laughter. I want them to go with their family and be able to forget about their troubles for a while. I want them to think, "that guy who played Robert was very handsome."

To buy tickets for "The Play That Goes Wrong", you can order them online here. Students can receive half priced rush tickets by going to the box office two hours prior to the show. Don't miss your opportunity to get some good laughs this week!