THEATRE PEOPLE, OR THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR Comes to Act II Playhouse

Act II Playhouse will kick off their 2025-2026 Season with the hilarious farce, “Theatre People, Or The Angel Next Door” by Paul Slade Smith. 

Previews begin Tuesday, August 5, 2025 and the production opens Friday, August 8. “Theatre People” closes after a five-week run on Sunday, September 7, 2025. 

Playwright Paul Slade Smith, author of the political farce, “The Outsider” – staged for an extended run last season at Act II – presents a love letter to theatre set in the 1940s. A pair of Broadway playwrights travel to a Connecticut mansion to adapt their young protégé’s novel for the stage. A series of overheard conversations lead to slamming doors, comic misunderstandings, and romance all witnessed by a scene-stealing, imperious housemaid. “Theatre People” lifts up the crazy cast of characters that make theatre possible and is sure to have audiences laughing with abandon all night long. 

To direct “Theatre People” is Act II Playhouse Artistic Director, Tony Braithwaite, hailed “Philadelphia’s funniest man ever” (The City Paper).  

“I am so excited to tackle ‘Theatre People,’” said Braithwaite. “After the tremendous success of ‘The Outsider’ last season at the Playhouse, I knew that audiences would have an appetite for the kind of comedy written by Paul Slade Smith. ‘Theatre People’ is the perfect show for the Playhouse; combining high-society elegance, hilarious slapstick comedy, and an ensemble of lovable, endearing characters. Act II patrons are sure to be laughing along this summer.”

To bring these unique characters to life, the Playhouse has assembled an ensemble of their favorite performers, according to Braithwaite. 

Sabrina Profitt appears as Olga, the house maid. Carl Nathaniel Smith plays Oliver Adams, the young lovesick novelist. Profitt and Smith are reunited after last season’s “The Outsider.” Renee McFillin is Margot Bell, the object of Oliver’s affections, and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton is Victor Pratt, a Broadway Lothario. They both return to the Playhouse following “A Grand Night For Singing.” Joe Mallon returns to the Playhouse after “Greater Tuna” (2019) to play Arthur Sanders. Morgan Everitt is making her Act II debut as Charlotte Sanders, Arthur’s wife and collaborator. 

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