We were gifted tickets to The Play That Goes Wrong in exchange for this review, words and pictures are mine.
I’ve taken my kids to theatre shows before, but so far only ones specifically aimed at children. They’ve enjoyed them and I have loved taking them, but the shows themselves are often a bit dry (or entirely unbearable) for adults and usually quite short, which means the cost and effort of a schlep into London seems like a lot.
I’d previously seen The Play That Goes Wrong back in 2019 and I recall enjoying it, but until now I had not considered taking my children; mine would have been far too young at the time and I’d never have dared risk it. After all, no one pays West End prices to be subjected to someone’s five year old telling everyone they’re bored.
Four years later, my two – now eight and nine years old – are finally at the age where their sense of humour has developed a bit and their attention span is longer. They’ve both enjoyed the Goes Wrong Show on the BBC, so when we were asked to go along and review a matinee performance of The Play That Goes Wrong in the Duchess Theatre, Covent Garden, in London’s West End, I thought it would be a great summer holiday treat for all of us.
The Play That Goes Wrong review
We were really fortunate that we were invited to arrive early and go up on the stage to look at the set and take pictures.
I guess this probably would have been more universally appreciated after the show had finished and the children knew what the different parts of the set did, but for obvious reasons (ie the set falls apart completely) that wasn’t possible. However it gave us some fab pictures to share and afterwards they were really proudly showing off that they’d been up on the stage!
The Play That Goes Wrong is a comedy about, predictably, a play – ‘The Murder at Haversham Manor’ – that goes very wrong. The actors forget their lines, fall over and pass out, the set falls apart and sound guy is terrible.
The play starts with a bit of ‘behind the curtain’ stuff and the audience don’t know for sure if it has started or not. While you take your seat, the crew are putting the final touches to the set, but the mantlepiece won’t stay up. Meanwhile, Trevor the sound guy is in the audience, asking anyone if they’ve seen his dog or his Duran Duran CD collection.
As the play starts, you realise that the ‘crew’ are actually part of the cast, and all the mishaps which befall the hapless actors are cleverly planned and timed. I don’t want to spoil the show by giving too much away, but the set is extremely clever and the actors all play their parts very well.
Is The Play That Goes Wrong suitable for children?
Absolutely! The Play That Goes Wrong is a brilliant play for kids age 8 and up. You could take slightly younger children if they have a reliable attention span, but it’s not one for toddlers and littlees who are likely to get bored or interrupt everyone else’s viewing experience.
The show is split into two parts, with the first being slightly longer, then an interval, and then the second part. I didn’t time them, but neither seemed too long to hold the kids’ attention (or require additional loo breaks – for me or for the kids).
There are no complex or inappropriate storylines, nothing scary, no rude humour; nothing you’re going to have to explain on the way home. The worst the language gets is a few ‘bloodys’ and that’s it. I’m reminded by the kids that in one section Florence comes on stage in her knickers after her dress gets borrowed, but that’s about as raunchy as it gets. It really is a great show for kids and adults alike and the perfect family introduction to the West End.
Did the children enjoy The Play That Goes Wrong?
In our party we had an eight year old, a nine year old, a ten year old and a 13 year old and they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves (as did the adults).
Children are simple creatures; if they think something is funny, they’ll laugh, and if they don’t, they won’t. You won’t get the forced, nervous tittering that adults might make out of politeness. From this I can surmise that the children present thought The Play That Goes Wrong was hilarious; the set falling apart elicited whoops of delight from all the children in the audience and the slapstick physical comedy had everyone howling out loud.
Where can I get tickets for The Play That Goes Wrong?
The show runs at 7.30pm Tuesday – Sunday at the Duchess Theatre, Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA. There are matinee performances on a Saturday and Sunday and occasional other dates. You can check out availability and book tickets for The Play That Goes Wrong via the Duchess Theatre website