Category: 2026 Season

Classic Comedy Meets Clever Mystery in ‘Red Herring’
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Classic Comedy Meets Clever Mystery in ‘Red Herring’

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.

Red Herring show logo, 2026 at Third Avenue PlayWorks
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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.

Red Herring show logo, 2026 at Third Avenue PlayWorks
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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.

Red Herring show logo, 2026 at Third Avenue PlayWorks
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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.

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Don't miss Red Herring running through August 9th!

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