Meredith's Winnipesaukee Playhouse hosts 'The Play That Goes Wrong'

MEREDITH — Falling scenery, an unconscious leading lady, misplaced props, and a corpse that can’t play dead usually spell disaster for a theatrical production.

Thankfully for the audience of "The Play That Goes Wrong," the mishaps only lead to merriment and laughter. The show that has kept London and New York audiences in stitches since 2012 now comes to the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in a co-production with the Winni Players, the Playhouse’s resident community theater company, and Laconia’s Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative. The comedy will be performed in Meredith on March 6-8 and 12-15.

The original production of "The Play that Goes Wrong" won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards. Since 2014, the play has undertaken five tours of the UK. A Broadway production ran from 2017-2019 and then continued off-Broadway where it is still playing today.

On a ramshackle set, the fictional Cornley Drama Society are staging The Murder at Haversham Manor, a classic whodunnit ripped right out of an Agatha Christie novel. Though the technical crew works hard to put the finishing touches on the set, the actors are not prepared for the disasters that are about to befall them. The plotline of the play-within-the-play become inconsequential as the actors battle their way to the final curtain — dodging scenery, repeating lines, missing sound cues, and living the personification of the classic “actor’s nightmare.”

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative’s Bryan Halperin directs with the Winnipesaukee Playhouse’s Cory Lawson as assistant director and fight choreographer. The play features 17 talented local actors, many of whom are making their debuts on the Playhouse’s stage.

Tickets are available at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse’s 2026 season is sponsored by R&D Paving and its Community Theatre and Education Department season is sponsored by Northeast Mill Services and Bank of New Hampshire.

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative’s season sponsors include Grappone Automotive Group, LaValley’s Building Supply, and Meredith Village Savings Bank