A Laughing Matter

The leading man is unconscious. The crowd is getting restless. How will the show go on?
All will be revealed as Hackettstown becomes site of the first American production of a hit London show, with a veteran cast of actors from the Broadway stage, from Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman theatre, and Shakespeare festivals around the country, as the professional Centenary Stage Company (CSC) presents the national premiere of A Laughing Matter by April DeAngelis.

In a show that was hailed as "exuberant, shrewd and highly entertaining" [The Independent, U.K.], April De Angelis has written a wry, witty and boisterous romp which exposes the backstage antics behind the attempts to mount the first production of Oliver Goldsmith’s "She Stoops to Conquer" , a play which effectively changed the way we view comedy from that point forward ("She Stoops to Conquer" was produced by CSC in 2006). "A Laughing Matter" is a rich comedy, full of real personalities from the time of Mad King George, revolutions and extravagance . Oliver Goldsmith has written a brilliant new comedy, "She Stoops to Conquer", but can’t get any theatre to produce the play. His friend, Dr Samuel Johnson introduces him to David Garrick, most famous actor of his time and manager of the Drury Lane Theatre. But Garrick, about to retire after thirty years of success leading the Drury Lane Theatre, is offered the choice between Goldsmith’s play or another, favored by his patroness and the government censor.