The Lying Valet is a British play

Theatre of the United Kingdom

Theatre of the United Kingdom plays an important part in British culture, and the UK has had a vibrant tradition of theatre since at least 1585.-Background:...

 by David Garrick

David Garrick

David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...

. A farce

Farce

In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...

 it was first performed at the Goodman's Fields Theatre

Goodman's Fields Theatre

Two 18th century theatres bearing the name Goodman's Fields Theatre were located on Ayliffe Street, Whitechapel, London. The first opened on 31 October 1727 in a small shop by Thomas Odell, deputy Licenser of Plays. The first play performed was George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer. Henry...

 on 30 November 1741. Garrick based his work on the second act of All Without Money by Peter Antony Motteux which was in turn inspired by a French play. Garrick initially followed the plots of the earlier plays quite closely, but the work soon diverges significantly. It was the only one of Garrick's plays which was completely sentimental

Sentimentality

Sentimentality originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to truth, but current usage defines it as an appeal to shallow, uncomplicated emotions at the expense of reason....

in nature.