Midnight’s Well-Cast “Pride and Joy” Features Family Struggles, Sitcom Style

Pride and Joy
by Colin McLaughlin
Directed by Carl Overly Jr.
The Midnight Company
July 10, 2025

The Midnight Company’s latest production is a new play that’s also something of a throwback. Deliberately styled in the form of a classic sitcom, Colin McLaughlin’s Pride and Joy is a comedy about a family with a lot of drama, kind of like a “Very Special Episode”. As directed by Carl Overly Jr. and featuring a first-rate cast of local performers, it’s a show that brings lots of laughs and a credible portrayal of a family with a lot of issues to work out. 

The sitcom elements are obvious before the play even starts, as the audience is treated to a playlist of famous themes from classics like Friends, The Jeffersons, The Office, Cheers, and more, and the well-appointed set by Chuck Winning brings to mind a classic sitcom living room setup. As the show gets going, more of these elements become apparent, including “commercial breaks” and bumper music. The pacing is sitcom-like, as well, although the runtime is longer than the average sitcom at roughly 80 minutes. It somewhat calls to mind one of those “Very Special Episodes” of classic comedy shows, when a serious issue is brought up, although the tone here is, for the most part, kept relatively light.

The story follows the Moran Family–parents Michael (Joe Hanrahan) and Mary (Lavonne Byers), and their adult children Jay (Jayson Heil), Sam (Sarah Lantsberger), and Maggie (Alicen Moser). The action takes place at Sam’s apartment, as the rest of family arrives having been called there for a “Family Intervention”, although Sam is late and everyone else is left to try to figure out who the intervention is for. After a while, Sam arrives and the goal of the evening is made more clear, but even though there is a stated “target” for the intervention, a lot of issues get brought up, and every character gets their moments to fess up about various issues, including Jay’s self-professed “assholery”, Mary’s focus on others to the perceived neglect of herself, Maggie’s fondness for weed, Michael’s on-and-off issues with drinking, and Sam’s own issues that she reveals in the course of the intervention, which tie into her relationship with her family. It’s a quick-witted, characterful show with a good deal of genuine laughs and moments of drama peppered in for good measure.

The characters are well-drawn and expertly played, led by Lantsberger in a well-measured performance as the well-meaning but occasionally controlling Sam, and Byers as the motherly, longsuffering Mary, who gets some of the best dramatic moments in the show. There’s also excellent work from Hanrahan as the reluctant Michael, Heil as the outspoken Jay, and Moser as the somewhat mischievous Maggie. The give-and-take in the conversations and the undercurrent of genuine care in the midst of the bickering is well done and expertly paced, making the most of the sitcom format and providing much to think about and relate to, as well as laugh about. 

There’s also notable work from lighting designer Tony Anselmo and costume designer Liz Henning, as all the elements of the show work together to give the audience a funny, thoughtful look at a dysfunctional family that tries hard to function better. The enthusiastic laughter of the audience also adds to the overall sitcom vibe. Pride and Joy is an intriguing, funny new play that provides the classic TV experience with the bonus of live theatre energy. 

The Midnight Company is presenting Pride & Joy at The Chapel until July 26, 2025