THEATRE REVIEW: "The Play That Goes Wrong" at New World Stages (New York, NY)

      On the afternoon of August 23rd, 2026, my friend Kathryn and I saw a performance of "The Play That Goes Wrong" at New World Stages in New York City.  The play premiered in London in 2012, and transferred to the West End in 2014.  "The Play That Goes Wrong" premiered on Broadway in 2017, and closed in early 2019.   The off-Broadway production opened shortly after.  There have been successfull U.K. Tours and U.S. Tours of the show, and even a Chicago Production that ran from December 2021 to May 2022 (that was when I first saw the show).  I remembered the show being a laugh riot, and figured Kathryn and I would enjoy it.  






     "The Play That Goes Wrong" is a play-within-a-play, so to speak.  It is about a financially strained theatre company putting on a murder mystery called "The Murder at Haversham Manor."  It's explained at the beginning of the performance that the production is the most expensive show the theatre company has ever presented.  This becomes apparent as more and more things... go wrong.  Scenery falls apart... cast members miss their cues... and the audio is suddenly replaced by Duran Duran music. 







     On the afternoon Kathryn and I saw the show, the Off-Broadway cast included Julian Robertson (Trevor), Joanie Anderson (Annie), David McElwee (Chris), Greg Balla (Jonathan), Brent Bateman (Robert), Trevor Braun (Dennis), Jemma Jane (Sandra), and Samuel Douglas (Max).  The entire cast did a great job, and were good-natured too.  The audience were more participatory than when I saw the play last.  At times the remarks from the audience seemed a little aggressive, but I could be wrong.  At one point, one of the characters responded that this is why Americans lacked funding for the Arts.  In retrospect, the wit of some of the comments could suggest these exchanges were prearranged as part of the show.






     The last time I was at New World Stages was to see a musical called "Empire." While that was not my favorite show, I was impressed by the scale of the production.  The scenic design of "The Play That Goes Wrong" also impressed me.  Rather, it impressed me all over again.  Not only was the scenery large in scale, but it was designed to fall apart performance after performance.   This was the work of scenic designer Nigel Hook.







     Kathryn and I had a fun time at the theatre, and I look forward to our next rendezvous on the Great White Way.  There will undoubtedly be new shows premiering between now and then that we will want to see.  But instead we might want to see an old favorite again.  That can be just as enjoyable.  Plus, it helps when you are in good company, which I most certainly was when seeing "The Play That Goes Wrong."






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