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John Maddison Morton
1811–1891
Best remembered for the hit farce Box and Cox, this prolific English dramatist helped define Victorian stage comedy with brisk plots, comic misunderstandings, and a gift for crowd-pleasing dialogue. His work was hugely popular in the mid-19th century and kept his name alive long after the first curtain fell.
4 Audiobooks
Comediettas and Farces
by John Maddison Morton
Drawing Rooms, Second Floor, and Attics: A Farce, in One Act
by John Maddison Morton
A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act
by John Maddison Morton
Betsy Baker! or, Too Attentive by Half; A Farce, in One Act
by John Maddison Morton
About the author
Born in Pangbourne on January 3, 1811, he became one of the most successful writers of English farce in the Victorian period. He wrote large numbers of plays, but Box and Cox (1847) became the standout title most closely linked with his reputation.
His comedies were known for fast-moving situations, mistaken identities, and lively theatrical timing, which made them favorites with audiences of the day. Although his early and middle career brought major success, later years were much harder, and he eventually spent his final period as a pensioner at the Charterhouse.
He died on December 9, 1891. Even now, he is remembered chiefly as a specialist in comic stage writing whose best-known work remained a durable part of British theatrical culture.