--- site: London Drum url: https://londondrum.com/events/?p=33342 canonical: https://londondrum.com/events/?p=33342 title: "The Play That Goes Wrong Tickets · Duchess Theatre, London · Until 3 Oct 2027" description: "Will Cornley Drama Society crack under the pressure of putting on a new show?" author: London Drum updated: 2026-09-03 clipped: 2026-11-15 --- # The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre ![The Play That Goes Wrong at Duchess Theatre](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/the-play-that-goes-wrong-duchess-theatre.webp)
## Useful things to know before your visit Address: Duchess Theatre, 3-5 Catherine Street, Covent Garden WC2B 5LA. Telephone: 0330 333 4810 ### What are the dates and times? 18th June 2021 to [3rd October 2027](https://londondrum.com/events/?m=3-october) · 7.30 PM (Tue-Sat); 7 PM (Sun) · 2.30 PM matinee (Sat); 3 PM (Sun) ### How long does the show last? 2 hours 5 mins, with interval ### How much do the tickets cost? Seats from £20 ### Which buses go to Duchess Theatre? Bus routes 6, 9, 13 and 23 all stop close by ### Which is the closest train station? The nearest station is [Covent Garden](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=covent-garden) on the Piccadilly line. It only takes four minutes to walk to Duchess Theatre ### Which other attractions are nearby? These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of Duchess Theatre: Transport Museum, Courtauld Gallery, Covent Garden, Cleopatra's Needle, Hunterian Museum, Royal Courts of Justice, Sir John Soane's Museum, Temple Bar, Benjamin Franklin House, Lincoln's Inn, National Portrait Gallery, Temple Church, Hayward Gallery, National Gallery and Trafalgar Square _The Play That Goes Wrong_ is the West End's funniest farce, a smash-hit comedy that's been hailed as a cross between _Fawlty Towers_ and _Noises Off_. ![A scene from The Play That Goes Wrong](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/the-play-that-goes-wrong-duchess-theatre1.webp) When the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society find themselves the happy beneficiary of a windfall inheritance they decide to put on an ambitious 1920s murder mystery - _The Murder at Haversham Manor_. ![](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/the-play-that-goes-wrong-duchess-theatre3.webp) The play seems simple enough... there's been a murder at a country manor so an inspector arrives to interview the suspects. But as the pressure of putting on a West End show starts to build the accident-prone cast crack under the pressure, and now they're struggling to get everything ready before the curtain falls! ![A scene from The Play That Goes Wrong](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/the-play-that-goes-wrong-duchess-theatre2.webp) The show takes you backstage to see the crew scrambling to make last-minute fixes to the set as the gods start throwing absolutely everything at them, from crushed fingers and collapsing floors to sticky doors and falling props. Everything that can possibly go wrong does... the actors forget their lines, break character mid-scene, and get locked inside a grandfather clock. It's non-stop mayhem from start to finish! [Video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/GWF80cXTG9w) Will the actors manage to make it through to their final curtain call unscathed... or will it be an evening of hilarious disaster? ## One of the West End's longest-running shows The show has been blundering through eight catastrophic years at the Duchess Theatre, making it longest-running play since it opened a hundred years ago. It's also undertaken five successful tours and picked up a prestigious Tony Award and Olivier Award for 'Best New Comedy'. ![A scene from The Play That Goes Wrong](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/the-play-that-goes-wrong-duchess-theatre7.webp) ## What the theatre critics say... **Daily Mail:** ★★★★★ _"I feared I was going to hyperventilate"_ **The Times:** ★★★★★ _"A masterpiece of malfunction"_ **Sunday Telegraph:** ★★★★ _"A great-looking, brilliantly performed piece"_ **The Independant:** ★★★★ _"Exquisitely choreographed mayhem"_ **Financial Times:** ★★★★ _"A joyous show builds to a delirious climax"_ ## The Play That Goes Wrong Cast & Creatives **Director:** _Mark Bell_ **Written by:** _Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields_ **Cast:** _Ruby Ablett, Raphael Bushay, Matthew Spencer, Luke Wilson, Lucinda Turner, Kieron Michael, Alex Bird, Joshua Lendon_ I've ranked watching a West End show as ★15 in [my must-do list for London](https://londondrum.com/planner/top-25-ultimate-bucket-list.php)