The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong
by Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Lewis

Name: The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong
Brand: Henry Shields
SKU: 9780822241997
Rating: 4.47 (1 reviews)

Broadway Off-Broadway West End Off-West End

The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong Book Cover — The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

One Act 60 mins Present Day Interior Set Period Costumes Comedy

Awards & Recognition

Olivier Award

Winner! 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy

Synopsis

From Mischief, Broadway masters of comedy, comes this smash-hit farce.

Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor , where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous.

This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show: an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).

Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!

Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award-winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!

The Play That Goes Wrong is a farcical, murder mystery, play-within-a-play, conceived and originally performed by award-winning company Mischief – now condensed to just one act!

Professional Artwork Available for Your Production of The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong Concord Theatricals has collaborated with Subplot Studio to create high-quality artwork that complies with your license.

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Press Reviews

"Tremendously silly, and brilliant…a two-hour explosion of physical comedy, malapropisms, and knockabout satire."
— The Daily Beast

"Hilarious, nonstop pandemonium. The Play That Goes Wrong is just right: a ridiculously entertaining disaster."
— Entertainment Weekly

"An unexpected, gut-busting hit...it starts off punch-drunk and just keeps getting drunker."
— The New York Times

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Stage Crew The Cornley Drama Society stage crew.	—	—	The Cornley Drama Society stage crew.
Trevor The company’s lighting and sound operator. American accent.	—	—	The company’s lighting and sound operator. American accent.
Chris The head of the drama society. Directed the play and plays Inspector Carter.	—	—	The head of the drama society. Directed the play and plays Inspector Carter.
Jonathan Plays Charles Haversham.	—	—	Plays Charles Haversham.
Robert Plays Thomas Colleymoore.	—	—	Plays Thomas Colleymoore.
Dennis Plays Perkins.	—	—	Plays Perkins.
Max Plays Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener.	—	—	Plays Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener.
Sandra Plays Florence Colleymoore.As with any play-within-a-play, you have the complication of the characters of the actors doing the play-within-the-play and the characters within the play-within-the-play. A crucial thing to remember when performing this piece is to tell the story of The Murder at Haversham Manor. That is what the actors of Cornley are setting out to do and as such should be what the cast of The Play That Goes Wrong are setting out to do. The characters of the actors you will no doubt work on in detail, but their temperaments and flaws should shine through the cracks in their performances and not suffocate the action. Always try to tell the murder mystery story and play the Haversham Manor characters.	—	—	Plays Florence Colleymoore.As with any play-within-a-play, you have the complication of the characters of the actors doing the play-within-the-play and the characters within the play-within-the-play. A crucial thing to remember when performing this piece is to tell the story of The Murder at Haversham Manor. That is what the actors of Cornley are setting out to do and as such should be what the cast of The Play That Goes Wrong are setting out to do. The characters of the actors you will no doubt work on in detail, but their temperaments and flaws should shine through the cracks in their performances and not suffocate the action. Always try to tell the murder mystery story and play the Haversham Manor characters.
Annie The company’s stage manager. American accent.	—	—	The company’s stage manager. American accent.