Absurd misunderstandings take center stage in this short comedy written by Irish playwright Lady Gregory. Performed for the opening night of the Abbey Theatre, which Gregory helped found, Spreading the News finds the gossipy residents of a small Irish village getting consumed by a simple misunderstanding that snowballs with lightning speed and ends with accusations of infidelity and murder. The play was one of Lady Gregory’s most popular, and was regularly performed at the Abbey Theatre throughout the early 1900s. Unlike Gregory’s other work, the play remained popular after her death, and is still performed routinely throughout the world. Relying on recognizable stock characters and dramatic irony, Spreading the News is a rapid-fire farce about the perils of gossip.
Spreading the News guide sections
