Comedy of mishaps: The Play That Goes Wrong” delights in Göttingen!

Comedy of mishaps: The Play That Goes Wrong” delights in Göttingen!

On June 21, 2025, the Deutsches Theater Göttingen will present a special production: The play “The Play That Goes Wrong” by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, which has been an integral part of the stage repertoire since its premiere in a London theater pub in 2012, is currently taking over the Duchess Theater in the West End. In Göttingen, the play is brought to life by Daniel bother, who not only plays the lead role but also directs for the very first time. His directorial debuts are always something exciting, and it will be interesting to see how he stages the chaotic plot.

The play takes the audience into the bizarre world of an amateur ensemble trying to solve a murder at Haversham Castle. But the devil is in the details and, as the title suggests, all sorts of unexpected mishaps occur. At different levels of action you encounter real chaos: on the first level there are the amateur actors who do their best; the second features professional actors who intentionally act badly; and on the third level, the whole thing becomes an absolute laugh thanks to comical elements such as exaggerated gestures and absurd mistakes.

Funny mishaps in the foreground

The director Katharina Birch relies entirely on humor. You can look forward to amusing mishaps, such as the lights turning on prematurely or actors dropping dead in a botched moment. Even the props sometimes don't seem to be taking it all that seriously — they often end up in the wrong place and musical cues are delivered with shockingly precise wrongness. This production foregoes deeper character analyzes and focuses on maximizing the fun factor. How diverse comedy is in the theater world is shown not only by the play itself, but also by the literature that deals with comic elements. It becomes clear that humor in theater is a fundamental ingredient that has its place not only in comedies but also in tragedies, as Pangloss explains.

The Göttingen production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” promises to be an entertaining mix of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. And the whole thing is a hit not just for theater lovers, but for audiences of all ages — as the reviews from major publications show. The Daily Beast described the play as “an explosive comedy,” and the New York Times also stated that it was a “painful hit.”

Appearance and performance dates

For everyone who doesn't want to miss this turbulent comedy: Further performances are planned for June 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 30th as well as on July 2nd and 4th, each at 7:45 p.m. There will be an additional afternoon performance on June 29th at 3 p.m. Purchasing tickets is highly recommended because, as the Broadway Goes Wrong team aptly puts it, “It would be wrong to wait!”

Look forward to an evening full of laughter and unexpected twists and turns, as the audience will be able to experience the actors' capers up close. The play ends with a truly magnificent collapse of the scenery as the actors try to maintain their composure despite the adverse circumstances. It becomes clear: failure can also be the best form of theater!