American Premiere!

"Oliver Goldsmith, Samuel Johnson and friends gather    at the Turks Head Inn to solve the problems of the    world!" in the Centenary Stage Company’s    American Premiere of the backstage-comedy,    A Laughing Matter - Oct 10-26 in Hackettstown.    L-R: Stuart Fingeret (as Oliver Goldsmith), Jerry    Durkin (back- as Cedric Bounce), Phillip Mutz (as    James Boswell), Bradley Mott (as Dr. Samuel Johnson),    Ruth Neaveill ( as Mrs. David Garrick), Andrew    Danish (as Sir Edmund Burke)      (Closer View)

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, when the professional Centenary Stage Company (CSC) presents the national premiere of A Laughing Matter by April DeAngelis, Oct 10-26.

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.

(Closer View)

With a fascinating cast of characters who gathered each week at the Turk’s Head Inn and made up the cultural pinnacle of the of the day – including Samuel Johnson (critic and author of the definitive Dictionery of the English language, and posthumously diagnosed with Tourette syndrome), philosopher Sir Edmund Burke, the famous actor/theatre manager David Garrick, and painter Joshua Reynolds, A Laughing Matter is about the same issues faced in the theatre today, as playwrights try to get new works mounted on the stage. The play delightfully revels in the shrewd politics and repartee behind the scenes of the Drury Lane playhouse , where David Garrick rewrote the plays of Shakespeare in order to popularize "the Bard" for the average Londoner. Directed by CSC Artistic Director, Carl Wallnau, A Laughing Matter crowns the CSC Classic Comedy series, with a survey of class and manners filtered through a sieve of contemporary high spirits and a bit of rowdy bawdiness.

Playwright:   April De Angelis

The Cast

Colleen Smith Wallnau
Colleen Smith Wallnau returns to the Centenary Stage to perform the role of Lady Kingston, Garrick’s patroness. Smith-Wallnau’s credits include a long-running stint as Mrs. Fodor in the Broadway production of Crazy for You, as well as the New York Premiere of Mary Todd, A Woman Apart in which she played the title role.

L-R: Stuart Fingaret, Philip Mutz, Jerry    Durkin & Bradley Mott    (Closer View)

Bradley Mott
From Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre, Bradley Mott will bring the role of Dr. Samuel Johnson to life.

Steve Barron
CSC audiences will enjoy the return of actor Steve Barron (playing Sir Joshua Reynolds)

Colin Ryan
Colin Ryan will be playing Sir David Garrick. Ryan also performed in the CSC production of She Stoops to Conquer. A former student of Sir Ian McKellan, Ryan’s credits include the York Shakespeare Co., The Actors Shakespeare Co., Shakespeare in the Wild and Shakespeare in Delaware Park.

The cast will also include CSC veterans Becky Engborg (Sister Week, Quartermaine’s Terms) and Stuart Fingeret (playing Oliver Goldsmith), as well as Andrew Danish (as Sir Edmund Burke), Diana Cherkas (as Peg Woffington), Ruth Neaveill (as Mrs. Garrick), Jerry Durkin (as Cedric Bounce), and Philip Mutz (as James Boswell).

Lackland Performing Arts Center

Lackland Performing Arts Center scheduled for    completion in 2009

The Centenary Stage Company will find a new home with construction the Lackland Performing Arts Center (Carol and David Lackland Center), scheduled for completion in Fall, 09. With a 22,000-square-foot performance space, the facility is destined to become the most sophisticated performing arts venues in northwest New Jersey. The center will include a 500-seat theatre, a black box theater, a dance studio, scene shop, a costume shop, green room and dressing rooms. In addition to housing the theatre, the 68K square foot Lackland Center will be a home for a variety of cultural activity, and will include WNTI, the College’s listener-supported public radio station, CCTV, Centenary’s Comcast-licensed television studio, and gallery space for visual artists. Named in honor of Carol Burgess Lackland, A Centenary graduate (Class of 1954), and her husband, David A. Lackland, a Centenary College Trustee, The David and Carol Lackland Center, has been designed to enrich student life and bring new cultural opportunities to northwest New Jersey.     ...more

Schedule
Performances of A Laughing Matter will by Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, Thursdays (family night) at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2:30 PM, with additional matinee performances on Fri, Oct 10 and Wed., Oct 15 at 2:30 PM.

Student matinees will be performed for regional schools on Oct 21 and 22 at 10 am.

Audiences can meet the artists and discuss the play at the "First Sundays" talk-back and seminar after the matinee on Oct 13th.

Oct. 2008 - A Laughing Matter
Wed. Stu.Mat. 10am	Wed. Mat. 2:30pm	Thurs. Eve. 7:30pm	Fri. Mat. 2:30pm	Fri. Eve. 8pm	Sat. Eve. 8pm	Sun. Mat. 2:30pm
			10	10	11	12
x	15	16 Family Night	x	17	18	19
22	x	23 Family Night	x	24	25	26

Tickets
Tickets range from $17.50 for matinees to $22.50 for Saturday evening performances, with discounts for seniors and students. A special Two-for-one "rush" price is available, at the door only, on Family Nights.

Tickets may be purchased through our Secure Online Ticketing System or the CSC box office at 908-979-0900, and locally at Greene’s Beans Specialty Coffee Roasters on High Street in Hackettstown.

Subscription Values        (Review the Full Schedule) - Subscription Events)
Centenary Stage Company is often referred to as "the best deal in the state." This event can be purchased as a part of a discounted season subscription purchase. Centenary Stage Company offers several subscription plans for its season with the mission of making arts affordable for all. Patrons. You may choose:

Individual Tickets
Individual Tickets are: