My good friend urged us to see The Play That Goes Wrong during our spring break trip to Chicago because he and his family saw it in New York and they all loved it. He even went so far as to say he would buy me a steak dinner if I saw it and didn’t like it!

Well, good news for him — he doesn’t have to buy me a steak dinner.

We attended The Play That Goes wrong on a Tuesday night at the Broadway Playhouse, which is part of the Water Tower Place. An intimate theater, it didn’t appear as though the Broadway Playhouse had a bad seat to be found! We managed to get front row seats which made for an even better experience.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a play within a play about a murder occurring in an era similar to that of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. The actors are quite intent on delivering a deeply complex mystery, but, unfortunately, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Misplaced props, items falling off walls, inabilities to stay in character, personal injuries, a faulty set — nothing goes right for these poor characters or the actors portraying them.

In fact, the controlled chaos is actually rather amazing. I’m not going to spoil any of it, but the engineering necessary to make this play “go wrong” is nothing short of genius. I’ve personally never seen anything quite like it live and on stage.

But, of course, the play will be a hit with your family due to the nonstop laughs. As my wife noted, there are literally no slow or dull moments in The Play That Goes Wrong. It moves at a frenetic pace and will surely entertain both young and old alike.

So, if you’re looking for a comedic, family-friendly show to take in while in Chicago, I absolutely recommend The Play That Goes Wrong.

(If it helps, I got our tickets through Ticketmaster and found my parking spot through SpotHero.)