Matt Harrington to Return as Chris Bean & Chris Lanceley to Take Over as Robert in THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at New World Stages

The Play That Goes Wrong will welcome back alum Matt Harrington returning to the role of Chris Bean, as Chris Lanceley takes over as Robert tomorrow night at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

Matt Harrington previously played Chris Bean as a member of the original off-Broadway cast in 2019, and reprised the role in 2021 for the show’s reopening post-shutdown.

This marks Chris Lanceley’s third role with the Off-Broadway production, having previously played Jonathan and Chris Bean.

The Play That Goes Wrong currently features Brent Bateman as Robert, Trevor Braun as Dennis, Latrisha Talley as Annie, Julian Robertson as Trevor, Chris Lanceley as Chris, Adam Petherbridge as Max, Clyde Voce as Jonathan, and Maggie Weston as Sandra. The cast also includes Damien Brett, Caroline Chu, Laura D’Andre and Sid Solomon. 

The Play That Goes Wrong, directed by Matt DiCarlo, opened at New World Stages – Stage 4 on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. The Play That Goes Wrong features set design by Tony Award winner Nigel Hook, costume design by Roberto Surace, lighting design by Jeremy Cunningham, and sound design by Beth Lake. The original Broadway production was directed by Mark Bell and featured lighting design by Ric Mountjoy and sound design by Andrew Johnson.  

Co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a riotous comedy about the theatre. The play introduces The ‘Cornley University Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong…does, as the accident-prone thespians battle on against all odds to get to their final curtain call. 

The Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong began performances on March 9, 2017, officially opened on April 2, 2017, and concluded its run onSunday, January 6, 2019 at The Lyceum Theatre. The Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong received the 2017 Tony Award for Best Set Design, a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Play, and the Theater Fans Choice Award for Best Play. 

Awarded the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and the 2014 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong recently celebrated 9 years in London’s West End at the Duchess Theatre. The show’s success is a testament to the hard work and determination of a group of drama school graduates who became friends, set up a company under the name “Mischief” and created an extraordinary body of work. The Play That Goes Wrong shows no signs of slowing down since its first performance at a London fringe venue with only four paying customers. Since then, it has played to an audience of over 3.5 million people around the world, with productions in over 49 countries on all continents except Antarctica (where producers fear a frosty reception). 

Mischief’s other stage successes include Peter Pan Goes Wrong which is currently playing in Los Angeles after a hit run on Broadway and is on a UK Tour with a limited West End Christmas engagement, Magic Goes Wrong, A Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Mischief Movie Night, and most recently the sell-out UK Tour and West End hit Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle. Their ‘Royal Television Society’ award-winning BBC series The Goes Wrong Show can currently be watched on Broadway HD. 

The Play That Goes Wrong is produced Off-Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax, Stage Presence Ltd., Catherine Schreiber, KenDavenport, Federman-Batchelder / deRoy-Brunish, Damian Arnold / TC Beech, Greenleaf Productions / Bard-Roth, Martian Entertainment / JackLane / John Yonover and Lucas McMahon. 

ABOUT MISCHIEF  

Mischief Theatre Ltd. was founded in 2008 by a group of acting graduates of LAMDA and began as an improvised comedy group. Mischief performs across the UK and internationally with original scripted and improvised work and also has a programme of workshops. The company is owned and controlled by its original members and is led by a creative group and its directors Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer. 

Mischief shows can currently be watched all over the globe with their award-winning smash hit The Play That Goes Wrong currently playing in London and New York. Following its West End premiere Peter Pan Goes Wrong was nominated for Best New Comedy at the Olivier Awards, and in 2022 made its North American premiere in Canada at the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton. Peter Pan Goes Wrong played a limited engagement on Broadway from March-July 2023 starring the original Mischief company, before transferring to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. The show is currently touring the UK until April 2024 with a West End engagement over Christmas at the Lyric Theatre. Other hit stage comedies include The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, which played in London for four years, and Groan Ups, both currently performing across Europe. Mischief’s latest West End production Magic Goes Wrong closed in London in March 2022 after a limited engagement, continuing to wow critics and audiences across the UK until the UK tour ended in May 2022. Returning to their comedy roots Mischief took 3 shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022, Mischief Movie Night and 2 new shows Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle and Charlie Russell Aims To Please. Following sold out success in Edinburgh Charlie Russell Aims To Please performed in London for one night only in December 2022. Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle toured the UK until March 2023, including dates in the West End. A new production Good Luck, Studio opened October 2022 in the UK at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester before a short tour to Salisbury and Guildford.  

In 2017 Mischief Theatre, Kenny Wax and Stage Presence, the producers of all the company’s West End productions, formed Mischief Worldwide Ltd. to manage the rights to all Mischief projects in all artforms. Mischief Worldwide Ltd., based in London, licenses copyrights, trademarks and other Mischief properties to producers, distributors, publishers and others around the world.  

Mischief was first seen on television in the Royal Variety Performance of 2015 and subsequently in two BBC One Christmas specials, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (2016) and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (2017). In 2018 Mischief Worldwide Ltd. and the Anthology Group formed Mischief Screen Ltd., an independent TV production company headed by CEO Hilary Strong. Their Royal Television Society award-winning BBC One series, The Goes Wrong Show, aired in December 2019 with a Christmas special, further episodes in early 2020, and a hit Nativity Goes Wrong Christmas special in 2020. The second BBC series aired in September 2021 on BBC One and iPlayer where the gang tackled a Downton-esque family saga and a US-style prison break drama, with predictably disastrous results. All shows can be watched on BBC iPlayer in the UK. 

All the companies develop, create and perform under the single name of Mischief. Mischief is developing new works of comedy for theatre, TV, film and other media.