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‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ will kick off a brand new tour at the Sydney Opera House in 2025

Packed with jaw-dropping stunts, this West End comedy hit is celebrating its 10th anniversary Down Under

Alannah Le Cross
Written by
Alannah Le Cross
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
The original West End production of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'
Photograph: Supplied/SOH | The original West End production of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'
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Hold onto your butts – it’s going to be a bumpy, rib-splitting ride! The longest running comedy on the West End, The Play That Goes Wrong is showing no signs of slowing down – and it’s set to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a new Australian tour, kicking off at the Sydney Opera House in winter of 2025. 

It’s a classic whodunnit story – at least, that’s what The Cornley Drama Society attempts to stage. There has been a murder at a country manor, and an inspector is on the case to find the culprit. But when these accident-prone thespians take on this 1920s murder mystery, everything that can go wrong, does. The actors and crew battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences (and a level of live stunts that could rival that old Police Academy stunt show they used to do up on the Gold Coast at Warner Bros. Movie World – who remembers that!?). We digress – who murdered Charles Haversham? You’ll have to see for yourself.

Audiences old and new will be rolling in the aisles when this Tony and Olivier award-winning fan favourite crashes back Down Under. Premiering in 2012 with only four paying customers, The Play That Goes Wrong has now been seen by over four million people and has been performed in every continent – except Antarctica (where producers fear a frosty reception). 

The original West End production of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'
Photograph: Supplied/SOH | The original West End production of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'

“Impeccably crafted and internationally acclaimed, The Play That Goes Wrong is a marker of top-tier comedy. Theatre of this ilk is incredibly challenging to do well but Mischief make it look effortless, creating a production that is beloved around the world,” says Ebony Bott, the Sydney Opera House’s Head of Contemporary Performance.

This wonderfully disastrous play was originally created by Mischief Worldwide Ltd (which started as an improv comedy group by a bunch of acting graduates in London) and was co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, and directed by Mark Bell. The Australian season will be helmed by associate director Amy Milburn, and co-produced by GMG Productions and Stoddart Entertainment Group.

If you're in need of a fixing of theatrical comedy silliness even sooner, don't forget that the Aussie premiere of Elf: The Musical is coming to the Opera House this Christmas. In the meantime, the House is serving up an eclectic range of contemporary performances. The special 20th anniversary season of cult cabaret La Clique is spicing things up right now (until Nov 17); followed by an epic live adventure with Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern, where no two shows are the same, from December 15; then magical masterminds Penn & Teller are celebrating 50 years at the House (January 11–18); and the darkly hilarious one-person-show Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen is coming to town in the new year as part of the exciting new program for Sydney Mardi Gras.

In 2025, The Play that Goes Wrong will appear at the Sydney Opera House from June 19 – August 3; then head up to HOTA on the Gold Coast from August  6–10; Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre from August 12–15; the Civic Theatre in Newcastle from August 19–31; and finally Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from September 3–21.

Tickets for the Sydney season go on sale to the general public from 9am on Friday, November 15, and you can find out more about that over here.

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