Crossword Genius

Murder drama in theatre that's bad? (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

foul play

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'murder' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'drama in theatre that's bad?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'drama' could be 'play' (synonyms) and 'play' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'foul' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for foul play that I've seen before include "Violence or murder" , "Criminal activity, murder" , "Unsporting behaviour" , "Evil or dishonest behaviour" , "Dishonest dealing" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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