The Play That Goes Wrong is Broadway’s Most Delightful Disaster.

November 10th, 2024

Comedic productions like The Book of Mormon and Something Rotten! now have a new neighbor in the top echelon of laugh-out-loud theater: The Play That Goes Wrong. The show is a masterful concoction of slapstick, physical comedy and quintessential British humor that has been delighting audiences since its debut. Conceived by the talented trio of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre, this play-within-a-play showcases the ill-fated attempts of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society to stage a 1920s murder mystery, “The Murder at Haversham Manor.”

The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong. PHOTO CREDIT: © Jeremy Daniel, 2021

From the moment theatergoers enter the venue, the chaos begins. Cast members, in character as the hapless crew, interact with the audience, assisting with seating and inadvertently setting the stage for the mayhem to follow. This immersive pre-show experience blurs the line between performance and reality, drawing the audience into the impending pandemonium.

As the curtain rises, everything that can go wrong does. Props malfunction, set pieces collapse and actors miss cues with impeccable timing. The physical comedy is relentless: doors refuse to open, floors give way and characters struggle to play dead, often hilariously failing to do so. The slapstick elements are reminiscent of Monty Python’s absurdity combined with Mr. Bean’s physical humor, resulting in a performance that is infectiously funny.

(foreground L-R) Brent Bateman, Chris Lanceley (falling), and Bartley Booz. (background L-R) Maggie Weston & Jesse Aaronson. PHOTO CREDIT: © Jeremy Daniel, 2021

The brilliance of The Play That Goes Wrong lies in its meticulous construction of chaos. The writers deserve commendation for crafting a piece that is both a parody and a homage to traditional theater, flipping the conventional Broadway show upside down. The deliberate mishaps are executed with such precision that the audience is left in stitches, often questioning how much is scripted and how much is genuine error.

In essence, The Play That Goes Wrong is a delightful mess of a good time. It embodies everything that can go awry in theater, yet does so with such charm and precision that it’s nothing short of absolutely hilarious. For those seeking an evening of unbridled laughter and masterful comedic performance, this production is an absolute must-see.