48 January 24 • 2019
jn

B

roadway producer 
Kevin McCollum 
believes everyone needs 
to indulge in captivating 
laughter as a distraction from 
stress, and he is confident 
about currently offering that 
opportunity to audiences 
around the country.
The source of the diversion 
is the touring production of 
The Play That Goes Wrong, 
which has cheered New York 
playgoers for nearly two years.
McCollum, whose late 
mother (nee Susan Goldberg) 
attended the University of Michigan, recalls 
the Ann Arbor area and celebrates his moth-
er’
s ethnic identity as he brings the comedy 
to Detroit and showcases humor styles long 
communicated through Jewish stagecraft 
traditions.
“I love the belly laughs that I hear from 
audiences,” says McCollum, who travels to 
watch the production in different cities and 
may be among the Fisher Theatre crowds 
sometime between Feb. 12 and 24. 
“It’
s not intellectual, cynical humor. The 
secret ingredient is Yiddish theater [origins], 
where it’
s man against his environment and 
the issues that have people struggling to get 
through each day. When they do get through, 
it’
s even more delicious.”

In The Play That Goes Wrong, 
an amateur stage group tries very 
hard and very heartily to put on a 
successful play — a play within a 
play — and encounters all kinds of 
bumbling with props falling apart, 
lines forgotten and movement slip-
ups. The play within, The Murder 
at Haversham Manor, gives an off-
beat take on 1920s mysteries.
“It’
s all just stagecraft delight,” 
says McCollum, who has brought 
Motown the Musical and Rent to 
the city. “The guys who wrote this 
— Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer 
and Henry Shields of the Mischief 
Theatre — just turned 30 and they’
ve writ-
ten five different plays. I want to support 
them because I love bringing new voices to 
Broadway.”

THE BUSINESS SIDE 
Part of bringing new voices to the stage has 
been important to a business partnership 
and longtime friendship with Jeffrey Seller, 
a producer who grew up in the Michigan 
Jewish community and maintains a loyalty 
to the area. Seller recently donated $1 mil-
lion to support the Mosaic Youth Theatre of 
Detroit, which gives young people perform-
ing arts experiences and has trained a num-
ber of participants able to achieve theatrical 
stardom.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

for the Business

theater
arts&life

Award-winning producer’
s 
The Play That Goes Wrong 
promises hearty laughter.
Kevin McCollum
Passion

Angela Grovey and 

Scott Cote in a scene 

from The Play That 

Goes Wrong, produced 

by Kevin McCollum, 

who won a Tony 

Award for the play’
s 

set design.

JEREMY DANIEL

details
The Play That Goes Wrong 
runs Feb. 12-24 at the Fisher 
Theatre in Detroit. Tickets start 
at $44. (313) 872-1000, ext. 0. 
broadwayindetroit.com.