''The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden'' is a

one act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

by American novelist and playwright

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...

written in 1931. It was first published in ''The Long Christmas Dinner and Other Plays in One Act'' (New York: Coward-McCann, 1931).

Productions

The first production of ''The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden'' was by the Yale Dramatic Association and the Vassar College Philalethis at the Yale University theater in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, on November 25, 1931. It opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on March 16, 1948, in a production starring

Peggy Allenby Peggy Allenby (February 1, 1896 – March 23, 1966) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actress. Early life Allenby was born Eleanor Byrne Fox in New York City and attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart. She entered theatrical ...

as Ma Kirby and

Don MacLaughlin William Donald MacLaughlin (November 24, 1906 – May 28, 1986) was an American actor. The son of a doctor, MacLaughlin was born November 24, 1906, in Webster, Iowa. He studied speech and English at Iowa Wesleyan University, Northwestern Univer ...

as Elmer. A production by

Theodore Mann Theodore Mann, birth name Goldman, (May 13, 1924 – February 24, 2012) was an American theatre producer and director and the Artistic Director of the Circle in the Square Theatre School. Mann co-founded Circle in the Square Theatre, widely r ...

at the

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...

which opened on April 21, 1993, won both a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

and a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Outstanding Revival of a Play.

Plot summary

Almost the entire play takes place during an automobile journey from

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

by a family on their way to visit a married daughter, who has recently lost a baby in childbirth. Very little happens, but the father, mother, and children reminisce, joke, and sightsee and somehow, in classic Thornton Wilder fashion, capture something of the universal joy and sadness of life as they motor along.Samuel French website for ''The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden''
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Themes

Comparing this play with his later masterpiece, ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

'', Wilder said in 1974, "In my plays I attempted to raise ordinary daily conversation between ordinary people to the level of the universal human experience." In his "Notes to the Producer" written in 1931, Wilder stated that:

It should constantly be borne in mind that the purpose of this play is the portrayal of the character of Ma Kirby ... the director should constantly keep in mind that Ma Kirby's humor, strength and humanity constitute the unifying element throughout.

Eric Specie in an overview of the play says:

A family car trip occurs on a bare stage. Yet the ordinary is only the setting for an investigation of extraordinary existential issues. In this family drama, nothing much happens—and yet everything important happens. In this play, Ma Kirby is the leading and strong character. She is a loving mother, an active woman, strict about dress and manners, thoughts and beliefs in God. She is satisfied and joyful with her family members. For her, the place where her family lives is the best place on earth. As a responsible or good mother, she wants her children to be honest by doing good and think good. She is a philosophical, determined, and kind-hearted person.

References

External links

''The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden'' at the IMDB
(October 1937 TV production on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

)
1963 version for Australian TV on IMDb
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, The Plays by Thornton Wilder 1931 plays One-act plays Plays set in New Jersey