John Maddison Morton was a renowned English playwright celebrated for his mastery of one-act farces. Born on January 3, 1811, in Pangbourne, Morton inherited his love for the dramatic arts from his father, Thomas Morton, a prominent dramatist in his own right. Residing in Chertsey for a significant portion of his life, Morton crafted his magnum opus, Box and Cox, in 1847, drawing inspiration from a French play. Box and Cox catapulted Morton to fame, earning him considerable acclaim. This uproarious farce, hailed as "the best farce of the nineteenth century" by The New York Times in 1891, was widely translated and garnered immense popularity. Its enduring legacy was further solidified when F. C. Burnand and Arthur Sullivan created a musical...More
John Maddison Morton was a renowned English playwright celebrated for his mastery of one-act farces. Born on January 3, 1811, in Pangbourne, Morton inherited his love for the dramatic arts from his father, Thomas Morton, a prominent dramatist in his own right. Residing in Chertsey for a significant portion of his life, Morton crafted his magnum opus, Box and Cox, in 1847, drawing inspiration from a French play. Box and Cox catapulted Morton to fame, earning him considerable acclaim. This uproarious farce, hailed as "the best farce of the nineteenth century" by The New York Times in 1891, was widely translated and garnered immense popularity. Its enduring legacy was further solidified when F. C. Burnand and Arthur Sullivan created a musical adaptation titled Cox and Box in 1867, although Morton received no royalties from it. Nevertheless, this collaboration with Gilbert and Sullivan fans brought Morton widespread recognition and established his position as a prominent playwright. Throughout his career, Morton's theatrical pieces, including comic dramas and pantomimes, enjoyed remarkable success. In his later years, Victorian burlesque's growing popularity overshadowed farces, causing Morton to face financial hardships. In 1881, he became a Charterhouse pensioner. However, Morton's comedic genius remained intact, evident in his final play, Going It, a three-act farcical comedy that premiered at Toole's Theatre in 1885, leaving audiences in fits of laughter. Morton's life journey came to an end on December 19, 1891, at the Charterhouse. He was laid to rest on December 23rd at Kensal Green Cemetery. Despite his prolific output as a playwright, Morton's works, apart from Cox and Box, have not been regularly performed since his passing.
