Comedy gold from the creators of The Play That Goes Wrong, multi award-winning Mischief return to the stage with their new hilarious comedy all about growing up -or not!

Groan Ups follows an unruly classroom of six year-olds on their journey through anarchic high school teenagers to the challenges of adulthood. Looking for answers to the questions, ‘do we choose who we become? Is the story of our lives already written? Do we ever really grow up?

Following their phenomenal rise to global success with smash hit comedies The Play That Goes Wrong, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Goes Wrong Show on BBC One, multi award-winning Mischief return to Eastbourne and tickets are sure to sell fast!

Please note, the trailer features the original West End cast. Production photos show the 2022 touring cast.

Theatre Review by C. Schmidt

From the established Mischief Theatre team that created The Play That Goes Wrong… comes Groan Ups, a comedy following the life journey of a group of school friends from being cheeky 6 years olds, through their awkward teenage years culminating into the complexities of adulthood.

Using a consistent classroom setting, imaginatively oversized for the younger years, the plot follows our friends as they develop and influence each other as individuals questioning how much our personalities are influenced by our environment or how much is determined by ourselves.

But the journey is an increasingly enjoyable comedy romp as we become more familiar with our endearingly motley crew of spoilt, rebellious, awkward, bookish characters as they learn to socialise, develop relationships and inadvertently terrorise their classroom rodents.

The simple linear structure of the plot is familiar, providing a window into the lives of our protagonists using comedy that increasingly becomes more sophisticated as the lives and relationships of the characters develop. But, like our friends, it isn’t until the final school reunion that the play matures. The laughter escalates encouraged by some strong supporting characters but equally there are some deeper and truly moving moments both in writing and performance as difficult life choices become apparent and must be confronted.

Groan Ups is a hugely enjoyable farce that had the audience running the gamut of emotions and leaving the auditorium feeling they’d shared an endearing journey. A great night out for anyone who has been an innocent child and grown up into a complex human being.

Theatre Ambassador; C.Schmidt  - 4 Stars