Interview: Scott Cote of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Peace Center

"This play is Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had a baby," says Scott Cote about The Play That Goes Wrong, opening October 2 at The Peace Center in Greenville, SC.

Cote - who last came to Greenville as part of the cast of Something Rotten - spoke to BWW about his role and what audiences can expect from the show the New York Times called "a gut-busting hit."

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Please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in Maine and then went to college in New York City, went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which is an acting conservatory. It's a three year program, which I did all three years then I started my professional career shortly thereafter and I've been doing it for almost twenty years now. I've done a lot of regional productions and this is my third national tour. Haven't been on Broadway yet, but I want to check that box very soon.

You came through Greenville on the Something Rotten tour. Do you have any specific memories of Greenville?

I was just amazed at how cute and quaint the town is. I really, really enjoyed my time there. It's such a nice main street, it's such a nice area and the park behind the theatre, the waterfall. It's just lovely. I was very, very charmed by it and I'm looking forward to going back.

Tell us a little bit about this show.

This show, The Play That Goes Wrong, is about a group of actors from the Cornley University Drama Society and they're putting on a play, a murder mystery play called the Murder at Haversham Manor. So this is a troupe of actors from England who are performing this play and obviously things don't go as planned. But they soldier on and try to finish the play as best they can.

I play Perkins the butler, who has been working at this mansion for eight years. And then the character Dennis from the Cornley Society, is playing Perkins, and this is his first time in the society, so he's a novice at the acting thing but he's trying his best.

So what is it like playing someone who is in turn playing a character?

It's quite interesting. During rehearsals we did a lot of improv with the other actors and the director, basically playing the actor playing the part. It's been quite a challenge but a fun challenge to accept and to play with, because the character Dennis, this is his first time and he's shy and he's trying to make friends hand he wants to be good at it, so trying to add those little moments within the play is quite fun to do.

There's an extra layer to the acting.

That's right. It's very fun and a new challenge, which is what I like.

What have audience reactions been so far?

They have been pretty raucous. The laughs start from the moment the lights come up and it's continuous throughout the whole play. They are with us a hundred percent, they are laughing throughout the show, and at the end they stand to their feet in applause, so it's been quite t he great reaction we've been getting. Audiences who come see this show are not going to be disappointed.

This play is Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had a baby. That's what this play is. It's got set pieces falling, people missing their lines, slamming doors, falling furniture - they're going to get a big spectacle, let me tell you. And it's very fun to play.

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The Play That Goes Wrong runs October 2-7 at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC. Tickets start at $35. For reservations and additional information call the box office at 864-467-3000 or visit PeaceCenter.org.

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