News Archive

The University of Western Australia's Graduate Dramatic Society can't quite believe their luck.  Their production of A Laughing Matter , a play never before seen in Australia, is the first to be staged in UWA's freshened-up Dolphin Theatre, which has had a facelift, a lick of paint and a new suspended ceiling.

A Laughing Matter - a play about theatre - is an apt play for the new-look Dolphin, where audiences have been entertained for more than 30 years.

Written by contemporary British dramatist April de Angelis, A Laughing Matter is a hilarious mix of truth and fiction that tells the tale of legendary David Garrick and the back-stage action at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1773.

Directed by Susan Lynch and starring Peter Clark, Grant Watson, Meredith Daniel and a large cast, the play reincarnates real-life celebrity actor/producer Garrick who must decide between the lacklustre play preferred by his wealthy patroness and the bawdy comedy - She Stoops to Conquer - by Oliver Goldsmith.  The latter would threaten his licence if the censors got wind of it.

"April de Angelis hasn't let history get in the way of humour as we discover there was much more going on in Drury Lane than serious rehearsal," Susan Lynch said.  "It's a rollicking, bawdy comedy, very much in the spirit of the times documented by de Angelis."

A Laughing Matter is on at 8pm on October 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31 and November 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8.  Bookings through BOCS Ticketing 9484 1133 or https://www.bocs.com.au/

Media references

Malcolm Fretz (Graduate Dramatic Society publicity)  (+61 4) 22 117 113
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716