The Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is closing out its 2024-25 season with a disaster of a show — on purpose.
“The Play That Goes Wrong,” presented by Oxford Financial, is a dramatic comedy filled with choreographed chaos and intricate mishaps. Directed by Benjamin Hanna, IRT’s Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director, the show is onstage at the OneAmerica Financial Stage April 9-May 11.
“We have gathered a hilarious ensemble of actors to make up the Cornley Drama Society — impeccable timing, inventive physical comedians and artists with huge hearts,” Hanna said in a statement. “With today’s news climate and all of the division, it’s the perfect time to see a comedy, connect with your neighbors, laugh together and celebrate the joy that art can bring.”
“The Play That Goes Wrong” is a play within a play, following the Cornley Drama Society as they prepare for a murder mystery. However, things do not go as planned; in fact, everything just keeps getting worse. Over the course of the show, audiences can expect the unexpected from faulty set pieces, disappearing props, a corpse who won’t play dead and actors who trip over everything.
Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields in 2012, “The Play That Goes Wrong” first debuted at the Duchess Theatre in the West End in 2014. The show won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards and — after multiple tours in the United Kingdom and U.S. and a Broadway debut — continues to run at that location today and at New World Stages.
The IRT’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” features many IRT alum — including Rob Johansen (“A Christmas Carol”), Dominique Lawson (“Little Shop of Horrors,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”), Brett Mutter (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”), Eric Sharp (“Clue”), Claire Wilcher (“Clue,” “The Folks at Home”) and Sarah Price (“A Midsummer’s Night Dream”). Making their IRT debut in this show are China Brickey and Ryan Hallahan.
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Throughout the run of the show, the IRT will host supplemental programing, including pre-show chats with staff and artists 45 minutes before each show, Artist Conversations after the performance on April 15 and 27, May 1 and 9, and a behind-the-scenes class about the “secrets of the set and the physical comedy seen on stage,” according to a press release.
The ASL/AD performance of “The Play That Goes Wrong” is scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 27.
“The Play That Goes Wrong” is showing April 9-May 11 on the OneAmerica Financial Stage at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St. The show is approximately two hours and 15 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets start at $25.
For more information or to view a performance schedule, visit irtlive.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
