The Play That Goes Wrong: Five reasons to watch the play on Broadway

Some days, everything goes right. On other days, it all goes wrong. Some days, it's a bit of everything all at once. If there's one production that captures the comedic resilience of trying to keep it together while the world falls apart, it's The Play That Goes Wrong, currently playing Off-Broadway. Despite all the things that go wrong, some things go splendidly right. Here are five of them.

A cast that can't go wrong

Plays like these require actors with wit, excellent timing, and a touch of old-school comedic gold running through their veins. The cast of the Off-Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong includes Matt Harrington, Brent Baternan, Bartley Booz, Matt Walker, Bianca Horn, Ashley Reyes, Chris Lanceley, and Ryan Vincent Anderson, all of whom deliver in every aspect of their roles.

A series of surprisingly fortunate events

The Play That Goes Wrong tells the story of a production company staging an ill-fated play where everything that could go wrong, does. Hence, the title. The increasing ridiculousness that unfolds on stage takes the play from mildly comedic to side-splittingly hilarious. The misfortune of the characters is fortunate for the audience, in this instance. But what sells it is the brilliant set design that truly elevates the cast's performances.

The stage that goes right

The play opens minutes earlier than it should and has cast members trying to fix the stage before their play begins. With parts that won't stay to ones that are hazardous to a runaway dog, the chaos begins instantly with The Play That Goes Wrong. With designs by Nigel Hook and a stellar team of creatives and crew, the production at New World Stages gets a major boost on the visual and special effects fronts. It's pure theatrical genius at play.

Chaos is a ladder we climb with glee

Plays have gotten increasingly nuanced and varied over time, but there's something about classic comedic chaos that never gets old. As the cast of The Play That Goes Wrong brilliantly navigates the utter chaos of their play-within-a-play production falling apart, the roaring laughter from the audience confirms they've hit the mark with this script. As a dubiously wise man once said, "Chaos is a ladder." To reach the top, one must take full advantage of the pandemonium beneath.

A vaudevillian legacy

Theater owes its legacy to vaudeville, an earlier style of comedy that wasn't rooted in deeply psychological or philosophical themes or fleshed-out lore. It was entertainment, plain and simple. The Play That Goes Wrong is everything Broadway has always been about. It's funny, charming, over-the-top, and just pure fun.

Indulge in the slapstick cacophony of The Play That Goes Wrong, now playing Off-Broadway at the New World Stages.