AIBU to ask what's the funniest play you've ever seen?

[MrsOverTheRoad]

Just curious. The funniest one I've ever seen was a production of Midsummer Night's Dream in London. Can't even remember who did it! I remember laughing so hard though!

Murder At The Vicarage at The Grand Theatre about 25 years ago. The acting was so bad it was hilarious, but painful to watch.

If Bottom counts as a play then Bottom it is. Saw two different stage shows of the infamous TV sitcom about five years apart. Filthy, vulgar and not for the faint-hearted .
Also highly amusing.

Comedy of errors.
It was just a small production, I went with school in year 11 and to this day I still think it was the funniest thing ive ever seen live

Massive fan of some that have already been mentioned, Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, 1 man 2 guvnors.

But the one play that had me gasping for breath all the way through was Daisy Pulls It Off. If you grew up on boarding school stories, it's the most hilarious pastiche you'll ever see.

Either The Parson's Pirates by Opera della Luna or The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes by Morphic Graffiti. Both absolutely hysterical.

To be honest any of the G&S adaptations by Opera della Luna are killingly funny.

The bank robbery

Was to my mind much much funnier than the play that goes wrong - which indeed was very funny. Same cast and writers

Book of Mormon

I also remember the RSC doing a restoration comedy with Dougie Henshall in drag. God, I cried

Also Much Ado About Nothing with David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

Another vote for The Play That Went Wrong! Took our then 15 year old DS after he had seen One Man Two Governors and loved it! I went along begrudgingly as not really my sort of humour. OMG I nearly needed a tena lady! I have never laughed so much in all my life. We have just booked to take DS to see the Bank Robbery one for his 18th. Hope it is as good!

Ice queen I though the bank robbery was even better 🤣

Another vote for 1 man 2 Guv'nors with James Cordon

Spamalot with Stephen Tomkinson as King Arthur and Todd Carty (flippin'eck Tucker) as Patsy.

Book of Mormon was disappointing. Couldn't find much to laugh about baby rape as a cure for Aids the first time they 'joked' about it, but it's mentioned over and over. Yes, yes, well done lads, very poor taste, big whoop. That being said, as a comment on the hypocrisy of religion, juxtaposing the good deeds achieved by the fantasist Arnold vs the status quo of the church (so long as they convert) was beautifully realised, so I'll give them that.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company were good. Haven't seen Potted Potter though.

I saw the book of mormon and the play that goes wrong in the same weekend BoM was very very funny but it paled in comparison to The Play . I was in pain all over I was laughing so hard. I saw the bank robbery a couple of weeks ago, also hilarious but I think The play wins just by a whisker.

Noises off was great but the mischief company are funnier.

Reduced Shakespeare is hilarious. I really want to see their reduced bible play

Noises off

The Reduced Shakespeare Company were good. Haven't seen Potted Potter though.

Hang on, am I reading this correctly? There's a reduced Shakespeare version of Harry Potter?

Well, that I need to see.

Whipping it Up - political satire set in the whip's office. Much much funnier than the stage version of 'Yes Prime Minister.'

The rise and fall of Arturo Ui

Ivykaty44 - so pleased to hear that. We racked our brains for something we could do as a family for his 18th (he will no doubt do something with his friends as well) but it needed to be something we would all enjoy (including my mum) and then we remembered seeing an advert for The Bank Robbery and thought it would be perfect.

Didn’t like the play that goes wrong, or one man two guvnors- think I’m missing a funny bone as I found them painfully over the top and boring. Loved the Norman Conquests and the 39 steps

Another set of votes for play, pan and robbery - Mischief theatre are amazing

If you’ve not seen Comedy About a Bank Robbery yet definitely go see it - I laughed soooo much I think it’s my favourite

TPTGW for sure
Saw a bit of Peter Pan (I'll need to watch the whole thing it was really funny )

Bank Robbery not so much.

Dead Funny (or something similar) had Steve Pemberton (League of Gents)

Absolutely Noises Off. Thrilled others have mentioned it. I can't remember which production I saw, probably about ten years ago? I genuinely wet myself from laughing, and I really don't mind admitting that.

Noises Off and Daisy Pulls it Off

Potted Potter isn’t by the RSC people, it’s by Dan and Jeff off CBBC, but we did find it very funny. We’ve seen Dan and Jeff’s Potted Panto three times and it always reduces us all to giggling heaps - very much a family show, and normally quite cheap.

I thought TPTGW didn’t quite hang together at the end when we saw it - might have been an off night. But Peter Pan Goes Wrong on the telly was flawless.

Possibly the single funniest thing I’ve ever seen on stage was Matthew (Mr Darcey/Spooks) McFadyen as Jeeves disguised as a coquettish Madeleine Bassett getting drawn ever deeper into the role through Jeeves’ natural perfectionism despite his better instincts in the recent Jeeves and Wooster play. Saw it again with a different cast and it wasn’t anything like as funny but MM absolutely nailed it - it’s all about the layers. Similarly when TPTGW works best it’s because of the layers of characterisation interacting with the slapstick.

Funniest Shakespeare I’ve ever seen was the recent Much Ado at the Globe. Not one for purists, but the guy playing Benedick had fantastic comic timing.

I saw a small amateur dramatic company perform the Farndale murder mystery which was very funny and another vote for Peter Pan goes Wrong which was on tv at Christmas

The God of Carnage is very funny too.