April De Angelis's play..

A Laughing Matter

is a new play which was a National Theatre and Out of Joint co-production in 2002 and, appropriately enough, it has a theatrical theme – that of David Garrick’s last years at Drury Lane Theatre.

We also meet up with a wide array of famous characters of the day which include Oliver Goldsmith, Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, not forgetting a motley line up of outrageous theatrical characters – Charles Macklin and the notorious actress Peg Woffington to name but two.

Set in the eighteenth century among the acting profession and coffee shops of Georgian London, A Laughing Matter is a rumbustious romp through the career of Garrick, full of wit and laughter, but which also touches on the social conditions of the times.

The Players have assembled an extremely strong cast of 25 members and we are particularly delighted to welcome our President, David Hopewell back out of retirement in Pembrokeshire. Those of you familiar with David’s many outstanding performances over the years, can look forward to another treat, as he will be playing a wonderful old roué – The Duke of Kingston.

The production will be a celebration of the work performed by the Players over the past 50 years which includes 97 full length plays and 34 One Acts, winning over 120 awards.