Editor’s note: Missed the show? The ‘Play That Goes Wrong’ will return to the stage in the summer of 2026.
“The Play That Goes Wrong” at The Seattle Rep is exactly what the title promises: a made-up theater troupe performs a murder mystery, and opening night is a total disaster. The students of the Cornley Drama Society fumble the staging of “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” Everything that can go wrong does. The dead body keeps twitching. The show’s diva gets knocked out cold. Actors trip, flub their lines, lose their props. But the show must go on.
Laugh-Out-Loud Comedy Perfection
According to artistic director Dámaso Rodríguez, the almost two-hour show has nearly 200 stage mishaps. I didn’t keep count, and I didn’t need to; the performance kept us in stitches nonstop. This show is for Anglophiles, and people who enjoy death, destruction, and sword fights. It’s energetic and juvenile in the best way possible. We watched Setareki spew his drink on the butler, Darragh Kennan, over and over again, and the joke never got old.
Chris Murray, Ashley Song, and Chip Sherman in The Play That Goes Wrong (2025) at Seattle Rep. (Image: Bronwen Houck)
“The Play That Goes Wrong” is tailor-made for tween and teen boys. If you are familiar with this demographic, you know this is a highly skeptical bunch. During the play, I snuck a peek at mine and saw them genuinely cracking up. At the show’s end, my son looked at the mess on the stage and said, “It’s all ruined!” And it’s ruined in the most perfect, precise way. The unexpected star of the show is the set, which collapses in a believable way — and doesn’t injure the actors. Mad props to scenic designer Tom Buderwitz. The audience gasped when Ian Bond (who turns out to be not dead) stumbles out of the fallen second story, then cheered when he rappels to safety.
Setareki in The Play That Goes Wrong (2025) at Seattle Rep. (Image: Bronwen Houck)
Audience Interaction
The actors in “The Play That Goes Wrong” do something unusual: they break the fourth wall. Meaning, they speak directly to the audience. Darius Pierce, the inspector, searches fruitlessly for a missing ledger until audience members call out, “Under the chaise!” “This is not how theater works,” Pierce says, and it’s another feature that sets this play apart.
The Play’s Incredible History
I have been itching to see this show since hearing about it from other parents in London. It’s been playing in the West End since 2014, and is the longest-running comedy there. Playwrights Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields are three friends who met in drama school in London. Incredibly, “The Play That Goes Wrong” is the first piece they wrote. The show played on Broadway from 2017 to 2019, won two Tony Awards, and now makes its Seattle debut. Paying for parking near Seattle Center is not for the faint of heart, but look at it this way: at least you’re not paying for flights to Newark or Heathrow.
“The Play That Goes Wrong” is the first show of Seattle Rep’s 2025-26 season and a co-production with Portland Center Stage. The all-local cast had big shoes to fill. Not only did they nail those stunts, but they also made it look easy.
Members of the cast of The Play That Goes Wrong (2025) at Seattle Rep. Scenic Design by Tom Buderwitz. Costume Design by Melanie Taylor Burgess. (Image: Bronwen Houck)
Tips and Treats at The Seattle Rep
The Seattle Rep building is wrapped in construction, but the theater inside is definitely open and hopping. If your family has never been to Seattle Rep, “The Play That Goes Wrong” is a wonderful place to start. I like the nosebleed seats because the steep slope makes it easy for short people to see. Make sure to arrive early to catch the pre-show antics on stage. The crowd mostly headed to the bar at intermission, but the real prize was the ice cream cart, which served up $7 cups of Molly Moon’s. We attended a weekend matinee, and I was surprised to see a mostly silver-haired audience. Seattle families, we need to change this!
Is there a moral to the story? Should I ruin the fun by making it a learning moment? Maybe there’s a lesson here about the importance of persevering. Or laughing when things go wrong in real life.
Or skip the preachy take and just go see the play. Be ready to laugh your head off. Just don’t try the stunts at home!
Chip Sherman and Chris Murray in The Play That Goes Wrong (2025) at Seattle Rep. (Photo by Bronwen Houck)
Know Before You Go
- “The Play That Goes Wrong” runs through September 28 at The Seattle Rep: 155 Mercer Street, Seattle.
- Run time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.
- Age recommendation: 8+
- Content advisory: The actors use the word “damn” a few times and there are muffled gunshots.
- ASL interpreted and audio described performance is at 2 p.m. on September 20
- Tickets: $37-$142. $5 tickets available through TeenTix for teens 13-19.
- Accessibility: Check out sensory kits, large print and braille programs, scene-by-scene sensory guides, receivers, and headphones at coat check. Wheelchair spaces, transfer seats, and additional seating options are available in the theater. Seattle Rep has Hearing Loops that transmit sound directly to t-coil-enabled hearing devices.
