(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) — The Lord Stirling Theater Company will perform their adaptation of Oliver Goldsmith’s classic madcap comedy She Stoops to Conquer in the English Barn Theater at the Farmstead Arts Center in Basking Ridge weekends from May 30 to June 8, 2025. The play was first performed in London in 1773. Despite being over 200 years old, the commentary on social classes, tension between generations, and romance are still fresh.
It is a rom-com for the ages that is part Downton Abbey and part Monty Python. In The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s adaptation set in the early 1900s, upper class couple the Hardcastles are hoping to marry their daughter Kate to Charles Marlow, a snob who turns into a tongue-tied mess when confronted by a woman of his own rank. Marlow is joined by his friend Hastings, who has designs on Kate’s cousin. It’s a play about deception and romance in a proper British family.
The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s production of “She Stoops to Conquer” is directed by Lisa Black of Westfield. The cast includes (in order of appearance): Sharon McGuire of Westfield as Mrs. Hardcastle, Joe Lozito of South Orange as Mr. Hardcastle, Ross Weinberg of Morristown as Tony Lumpkin, Katy Cockrell of Fanwood as Miss Hardcastle, Nyasia of Rockaway as Constance Neville, Jim Quickstad of Berkeley Heights as Pub-Goer/Servant, Cass Cochrane of Colonia as Pub-Goer/Servant, Amie Quickstad of Berkeley Heights as Pub-Goer/Servant, John Melchiorre of Hackensack as Stingo/Diggory, Ross Pohling of Westwood as Marlow, Robert Podolak of Union as Hastings, and Bob Scarpone of Flanders as Sir Charles Marlow/Roger.
Performances take place Friday, May 30, at 7:30pm; Saturday, May 31 at 7:30pm; Sunday, June 1 at 2:00pm; Friday, June 6 at 7:30pm; Saturday, June 7 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, June 8 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $25 general admission, $23 for seniors (65 and over) and students, $20 for Farmstead Arts members, and $15 for children under 12. Tickets are available for purchase online or at the door (cash only).
The English Barn Theater is wheelchair accessible. Anyone anticipating the need for additional accessibility services please send an e-mail in advance to farmsteadartscenter@gmail.com. The barn is neither heated nor air conditioned; please dress accordingly.
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She Stoops to Conquer begins The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s tenth anniversary season at the Farmstead Arts Center. Past productions include Black Coffee, The Wisdom of Eve, A Murder Is Announced (which was nominated for the 2024 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play), Blithe Spirit, Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies (which received the 2023 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Properties in a Play and was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play), Cobb (which received the 2022 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Stage Management of a Play and was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play and Outstanding Sound Design of a Play), Dracula (which was nominated for the 2020 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play), The Importance of Being Earnest (which received the 2019 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Costume Design of a Play and was nominated in six other categories, including Outstanding Production of a Play), Treasure Island, Othello, Arsenic and Old Lace (which was nominated for the 2018 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play), Of Mice and Men, And Then There Were None, The Dresser, Frankenstein’s Fate, The Tempest, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
A dynamic community of creative artists based in Basking Ridge, the group is committed to presenting innovative theater for diverse audiences, through readings and full productions of classical theater and new works, as well as exploring the American experience through compelling productions that illuminate and celebrate our history, culture, and literature. The theater group fosters the next generation of theater artists and audiences by providing unique hands-on educational programming and training in all aspects of theater production.
This event has been made possible, in part, by funds from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
