About the Play:

A Good Man is a full-length comedy by Frederick Stroppel. There's nothing funny about death. But the funeral can be hysterical. Depending on your point of view. A Good Man is a rip-roaring farce about the dysfunctional family of the deceased being held hostage while coffins get mixed up in a funeral parlour.

A Good Man opens on a hot summer's day at The Good Shepherd Funeral Parlour, where the air-conditioning has died and threatens "problems with spoilage." Funeral director Martin Lamb is presiding over the wake of "a good man", the late Walter Porteus. But Lamb's dream of a perfect wake is undermined by his son Jimmy, who seems embarrassed to follow in his father's footsteps. The situation goes from bad to worse when the family arrives to pay respects to their loved one and the wrong body turns up in the casket. To complicate matters, the conniving, contentious Porteus family members, are already clashing over the will. Then a mysterious mourner appears and a valuable piece of jewellery disappears. When the air conditioner repairman pulls a gun and decides to hold them all hostage, things really start to get interesting in this hilarious black comedy.

A Good Man premiered in 1988 at the Courtyard Playhouse off Broadway in Greenwich Village. Since then the play has been mounted by regional, college, and community theatres.

Cast: 4 female, 5 male

What people say:

"A Good Man is a good laugh. The author's subtle comic premises build slowly to a comic peak...." — New York Newsday

About the Playwright:

Frederick Stroppel is an American screenwriter and playwright who has had his work produced throughout the world. He has been writing for television, film and theatre for over twenty years. His plays have been produced in many well-known off-Broadway theaters and elsewhere.