The Play That Goes Wrong play is every performer, producer and stage manager’s worst nightmare brought hilariously to life. A comedy of errors from start to finish, it turns every onstage mishap into a moment of chaotic brilliance — props collapse, lines are forgotten, cues are missed, and actors are flung into panic.
This British farce, co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, is the longest-running comedy in the West End. Since its debut with only four paying audience members, it’s gone on to delight over four million theatregoers worldwide, earning both Tony and Olivier Awards along the way.
From the moment the curtain rises, everything unravels. The set falls apart, production crew members appear on stage, props are in the wrong places, actors forget their lines, and lighting and sound cues are wildly off. Quite literally everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.
A play within a play, the actors are performing a murder whodunnit about the mysterious death of Charles Haversham, who was young, rich and soon to be married – so why would he commit suicide? But the storyline makes no difference, as the production wrongs quickly steals the spotlight.
You know you’re witnessing top-tier comedy when even the rhythm of repeated knocks on a door sends the audience into fits of giggles.
The cast all over perform brilliantly and you can almost feel their desperation, especially when the production crew are forced onto stage. By Act Two, the chaos has exploded into full-blown mayhem. This might be the only play where on-stage heckling is encouraged — and gleefully returned by the cast.
While this show may appear barely controlled, disasters must be planned – it’s highly choreographed. Presenting as accident-prone thespians, the deliberately clumsy performances are executed with exacting skill, and the cringe-worthy overacting is laugh-out-loud brilliant.
The set, designed by Nigel Hook, is meticulously detailed in 1920s murder mystery style, yet primed to fall apart piece-by-piece. The music by Rob Falconeris, is melodramatically over the top. Originally directed by Mark Bell, the Australian season will be directed by associate director Amy Milburn.
It’s a play you can escape into and family friendly (aged eight and up), take anyone to. If you’re in need of a laugh, look no further. The Play That Goes Wrong is gloriously absurd – theatrical catastrophe transformed into pure comic gold.
4.5 stars
Run time: The performance runs for approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Co-produced by GMG Productions and Stoddart Entertainment Group, The Play That Goes Wrong is playing at Sydney Opera House until 3 August 2025. For tickets visit Sydney Opera House
The Australia tour then continues to: Gold Coast (6-10 August), Toowoomba (12-15 August), Newcastle (19-31 August), Melbourne (3-28 September), Port Macquarie (23-25 October), Canberra (29 October – 2 November) and Perth (7-16 November) 2025. For tickets visit The Play That Goes Wrong
Curtain’s down—time to settle in for a post-show nightcap…
BACCHUS AT THE THEATRE 
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