The Play That Goes Wrong

by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer

Good evening. I'm Inspector Carter. Take my case. This must be Charles Haversham! I'm sorry, this must've given you all a damn shock.

After benefitting from a large and sudden inheritance, the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society embark on producing an ambitious 1920s murder mystery. They are delighted that neither casting issues nor technical hitches currently stand in their way. However, hilarious disaster ensues and the cast start to crack under the pressure, but can they get the production back on track before the final curtain falls?

The Play That Goes Wrong is a farcical murder mystery, a play within a play, conceived and performed by award-winning company Theatre Mischief. It was first published as a one-act play and is published in this new edition as a two-act play.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Humor, Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Mystery

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2013

Reviews

[Amarante · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having seen two Mischief productions this summer in the West End, I must admit that The Play that Goes Wrong is superior to the other in many ways. And after hearing a remake would be made in my very own hometown, I simply had to get hold of the original script. And I'll start off with some friendly advice: it won't be a pleasant read without you having seen the play, as it is a very technical script (which is naturally needed for describing the numerous mishaps).
But not even after finishing the first act, I noticed significant differences between the script and the actual theatre play I had seen. And I do not mean that in a negative sense - on the contrary - it elevates the actual play because it is so dependent on its actors: their exaggerations, their ad libs on top of the ad libs from the script, they even broke the 4th wall several times on their own accord. And yet, they followed the script marvelously as to ensure nothing was lost. This is the true strength and beauty of The Play That Goes Wrong: although it's very straightforward, it brings forth quite different performances. And I can hardly wait to see what our local theatre production has done with it!

[Miss Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Play read

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crude physical farce that gets a fair few laughs.

[Charlie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this made me giggle 🫣

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just reading this over-the-top farce will make one laugh out loud - especially if one is an actor!

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would love to see this performed live!

[Ashley Shamoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a riot!

[Simon Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this on Broadway. It was amazing. I just had to get the prescription. I had forgotten some of the things that were in it. The script was laugh out loud.

[pableras_23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is surely the most HILARIOUS play I have ever read. Whoever has got to watch it on stage is incredibly lucky. Whenever it hits the theatres near me, I won’t miss it for the world. Truly inspiring and innovative!!

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lol.

[katezsz · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was mostly okay but my father raised me on duran duran music so the jokes regarding them were just hilarious

[Lisa Brantly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to see that live!

[Georgia Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Duran Duran

[Hanna Boven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god, so funny! I'm excited to see which role I am going to play..

[James Trombka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent comedic romp of a play. I would love to see this done live as it would have any audience roaring with laughter.

[Luinalda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this play live in July. Luckily still with the original cast. <3
The Play That Goes Wrong is definitely one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. My sides still ache from all the laughing when I think about it. :D I absolutely loved it and would give it 5+ stars.

For this script/textbook version I had to take a star off though, because it is a very visual play, so reading it doesn't really do it full justice. I still had to laugh out loud a couple of times. *g* And re-reading it brought back all those fantastic memories and hilarious moments. :)

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny. When reading, I can see how it should be staged as it has some of the most explicit stage directions I've ever seen in a play. Since I read most plays with the idea that I may eventually stage them, the only thing holding me back from five stars is realizing how difficult it would be to produce it.

It would take a two-story set designed to be completely safe, yet fall apart on cue. Actors who are in great physical shape and can do British accents and are great physical comedians. Intense rehearsals to perfect all of the stunts.

Break a leg, future productions!

[Shelagh P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a play that relies to some extent on its visual comedy. As a result the book is not as amusing, but definitely still worth a read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, I think in person it would be a 5 out of 5 stars but so much of this show is visually comedy. I really want to see this crew perform in person

[Rose Concannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

the slapstick humor, over-the-top dramatic writing, and constant mishaps are absolutely hilarious; for some audiences. unfortunately i don’t fall into that category so i really didn’t enjoy this play as much as others have, the biggest fault for me was that the humor felt cheap. to be honest the whole show felt like a constant dull headache, some scenes being painfully drawn out. notably, there’s one scene in which the same half page of dialogue is repeated over and over and over that just went on for much too long. i will say though, compared to other “uh-oh the show goes wrong” shows i’ve seen/read (not dropping names but like “the one act play disaster” by don zolidis) the play that goes wrong was MUCH stronger in terms of writing. i did legitimately feel connected to the characters behind the characters in the play within the play. for example, there were subtle moments (and not so subtle moments) in which the writing really reflected how chris (the actor playing the investigator and director of the production) felt on stage as everything spiraled out of controlled, which was a very impressive feat to me. overall, the play that goes wrong stands out in a sea of plays following the same troupe and could be a winner for some, but unfortunately it’s not my cup of tea.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The script to the award-winning play. Since the stageshow The Play That Goes Wrong is easily a five-star show, I have given the script five stars as well, though obviously reading the script is not quite as fun as seeing it performed live. The first act is a lot of fun to read since there are a lot of verbal jokes but the second act relies more on visual gags and reading stage directions is never going to be as breath-takingly hilarious as actually watching actors fall from heights and bits of stage collapse on them. Some of the best jokes in the show are only mentioned as 'vamping' in the script, while others were presumably developed and honed later and don't appear at all. However, I am lucky enough to have seen the original cast perform this play twice, so reading through the script allows me to relive those joyous memories. The script is a recipe for one of the greatest comedies ever.

[The Book Nerd's Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Play That Goes Wrong" is truly a hoot. It can be a bit taxing to read due to all the crazy stuff that happens throughout it, especially the stunts that are a bit over the top extreme. Despite this, it is quite comical and has very descriptive stage directions, which gives the reader a break from trying to figure out what the characters would be doing just from the dialogue alone. I love a classic play within a play format, and "The Play That Goes Wrong" does not disappoint. Each actor has an individual personality that seeps through the seams as you see the perform various gags and go against their rehearsed lines and blocking.

This play will always hold a special place in my heart, because it is the first theatre production I have been a part of. The stuff that happens backstage is nearly as crazy as the stuff the happens onstage and it is a blast working tech on this production!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Play That Goes Wrong is a visual romp. An absolutely hilarious piece of theatre. In print, it loses a lot of the humor, as it is hard to imagine everything that is going on. I was fortunate enough to see a production shortly before COVID came along, so I was able to visualize a great deal of the happenings as I read it. It's a very busy theatre piece, with special effects happening all over the stage. Basically, a group of actors are performing a play 'within a play'. As the title suggests, things deteriorate on set ... props are missing, wall hangings fall down, injuries to actors occur which force the stagehands to have to fill in in various roles, etcetera. It's quite brilliant, right up to the set collapsing for a grand finale. See it if you can, or try reading it, using your imagination to visualize the actions.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Play That Goes Wrong for preparation for directing the piece in an upcoming production in December. It tells the story of a group of amateur actors in a community theater who implausibly seem so full of themselves and oblivious to everyone else that they can’t help but painfully, and hilariously, muck up a murder mystery play soundtracked by Duran Duran of all bands until the whole set, cast, and crew literally begin completely falling down.

It is a riotous romp, and I made sure not to view any interpretations of this piece before diving into the text. It is very funny and can have a broad interpretation of the cast and crew in producing it. I will be using everyone that wants stage time to get it, and we have had a lot of great rehearsals so far. Looking forward to a great fall production!

[Jerrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently saw the Broadway tour of this ridiculous comedy in Denver and decided to pick up the script to see how one writes this type of hilarity. Interestingly, there’s really little direction to the comedic genius of this show in the script. Instead, it seems to be a combination of the director and actors’ choices that lead to its standing ovations. The script itself reads pretty easily, though it has (even at this 3rd edition) a few noticeable typo errors. But on the whole, the setup of this show may be simple, but the opportunities it provides for some of the wittiest slapstick in history are priceless.

[Doug · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'ed at 25%.

It's hard to argue with success, as this has been a perennial hit on both sides of the Atlantic - but it's just not my cuppa. In much the same vein as Noises Off: A Play in Three Acts, its humour depends almost entirely on pratfalls and Three Stooges type gags and an over-the-top acting style that I find abhorrent. I even tried to read along while watching one of the amateur productions on YouTube, but that just emphasized how tedious the whole thing is.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went and seen the play in September and I fell in love with it! I'm so glad I managed to find a copy of the screenplay - everything about it is amazing. Watching it was obviously better as it's only the script and it can get more confusing but it's nice to read this to kinda re-watch it in your head (if you have a good memory like I do.) It's a light and funny read + watch! Definitely recommend!!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious play. On the level of Noises Off funny. It is in the farce style, although not a sex farce. The characters and and situations are broad as they need to be. The show also requires a very strong technical staff that can deliver on all of the technical aspects of the show. Not only does the set need to be very technically and well designed, but the props will also need to be of a top notch.

[Katelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has an excellent variety of witty jokes and slapstick - that progressively gets more elaborate as the play goes on. Each character brings a different flavor of comedy to the story and it stays engaging to the very end.
It could do with more character development, as a lot of them feel rather flat (except for Annie, in my opinion) but I think that just came off because the focus was put on fitting in more jokes, which worked.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen this show twice now (in London and SF) and would love to do it, but the technical challenges would be too much for us. If we could get our hands on a version prepared for small community theater groups with some of the physical tech bits smoothed out, we could handle the acting. If I had time and/or ability, I would attempt rewriting the stage directions myself to make them more accessible. I'm not sure it would be as funny though. Sigh. Maybe someday someone else will attempt it.