NEW YORK—Anybody who has ever worked in theater or attended it on a regular basis has a story about things going amiss on stage, whether it’s falling scenery, malfunctioning props, or actors missing their cues. Books have been written on the subject, along with several plays, with Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off” being the crown jewel in the latter category. Now, a wonderful new homage to theatrical catastrophes has been produced: “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
The plot employs a play-within-a-play framework. The curtain opens on the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s presentation of a murder mystery in the classic Agatha Christie mode. At an English country estate, on the night of his engagement party, Charles Haversham has been found murdered in a seemingly locked room. Among those attending are his fiancée, Florence, his brother Cecil (with whom Florence has been having an affair), Florence’s brother Thomas, and Perkins, Charlie’s loyal butler. There’s also a gardener about somewhere. Arriving soon after Charles’s body has been discovered is the local police inspector, who tries to figure out who killed Charles and why.
