What do Moonlighting, I Love Lucy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Michael Hollinger's Red Herring have in common? At first glance, they seem to come from very different worlds. One is a screwball detective series from the 1980s, another is one of television's most beloved sitcoms, another is a fast-paced comedy-drama set in the late 1950s, and Red Herring is a stage comedy wrapped around a murder mystery. But beneath the surface, they all share the same irresistible ingredients: quick wit, unforgettable characters, romantic tension, and a healthy dose of chaos. If you're a fan of any of these iconic shows, you'll likely find yourself right at home in Red Herring.
Category: 2026 Season
Mistaken Identities and Comedy in ‘Red Herring’
It is 70 miles from Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s hometown of Grand Chute to Sturgeon Bay, and we are decades removed from his reckless allegations of communism which drove America’s Red Scare.
Get to Know Luba
Get to know Third Avenue PlayWorks sponsor, Luba, award-winning non-alcoholic beverages, crafted with love in Door County, Wisconsin.
TAP Supports “Amphibious” Film
After a recent showing of Moonlight and Magnolias at Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP), audience members participated in an exclusive talkback with the show’s cast and two Midwest filmmakers.
Get to Know Door County Medical Center
Get to know Third Avenue PlayWorks sponsor, Door County Medical Center, with locations throughout Door and Kewaunee Counties in Wisconsin.
Get to Know Plum Bottom Gallery
Get to know Third Avenue PlayWorks playbill advertiser, Plum Bottom Gallery, in Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, or Sturgeon Bay in Door County WI.
Get to Know Peninsula Pulse
Get to know Third Avenue PlayWorks playbill advertiser, Peninsula Pulse, in Baileys Harbor in Door County WI.
Audience Guide: Red Herring
A red herring is an idiom that is a “piece of information, clue, or subject that is deliberately or accidentally used to mislead, distract, or divert attention away from the central, most important issue.” This idiom derives from the practice of using a pungent, salted, and smoked fish (herring) to draw hunting hounds off a scent. The playwright uses a literary “red herring” to mislead the audience into believing one thing, when another may be true. How many red herrings can you find in the play? The nonpungent, idiomatic kind, of course.
Cold War Comedy Heats Up TAP
Red Herring by Michael Hollinger is the third show of the 2026 season at Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP), running from July 15 through Aug. 9, with performances by Ellie Duffey, Seth K. Hale, Carolyn Hoerdemann, Alicia Rice, Ethan Serpan and Noah Simon.
Sets and costumes play co-stars on TAP stage
It is not easy to go from a nursing home in France to a writers' room in California to a detective's office in Boston in the span of nearly three months, but not all places are Third Avenue PlayWorks. Rehearsals have begun for TAP's next production, Red Herring. The comedy follows a female detective in Boston as she tries to solve a murder while navigating her relationship with an FBI agent during the Cold War.






