In most plays, the cast and crew strive to ensure everything is perfect and goes according to plan. In this play, as the title suggests, the result is far from this. This play is so terrible it is delightful!

This slapstick comedy depicts a theatre company, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, performing a murder mystery set in the 1920s, titled the Murder at Haversham Manor. However, before the production even starts, the backdrop begins to fall apart, foreshadowing the chaos that will occur. As their show continues, unsurprisingly, the stage further disintegrates. The whole set topples by the time the curtains set, as do some of the actors! What is created is a serious show, within a very silly show.

It was written by Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, and Henry Lewis, members of the Mischief Theatre Company. It premiered in 2012 at the Old Red Lion Theatre and moved to the Duchess in 2014, where it will be on display until October 2019. The play is being shown in eleven countries and has also spawned a spin-off, Peter Pan Goes Wrong.

The show is both an interesting ‘whodunnit’ and a hilarious farce. The actors’ performances were incredible, their realistic acting and ridiculous expressions, alongside the comic plot, created ceaseless laughter from the crowd. This play will have you both guessing who the murderer is, and giggling as everything breaks down. it would be entertaining to all ages, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Overall, this drama promises to be two hours and five minutes filled with mystery, mirth, and malfunctions.