Tyler Perry brings the struggles of everyday life to the stage as Lionsgate releases Tyler Perry’s Laugh to Keep From Crying (The Play) on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand this summer. The inspirational new stage play from the writer-director-actor focuses on a neighborhood where each resident – from a single mother to a newlywed couple and a widow – is just trying to get by. Moving and funny, Perry tackles issues like understanding teenagers and job loss in a volatile economy. The play features musical numbers written by Perry and stars a number of fan favorites including Cheryl Pepsii Riley (Madea Goes to Jail play), Chandra Currelley-Young (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and Palmer E. Williams Jr. (TV’s “House of Payne”). Featuring cast and audience interviews, Tyler Perry’s Laugh to Keep From Crying (The Play) will be available on DVD August 30th, for the suggested retail price of $19.98. The release is timed to the DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Tyler Perry’s latest theatrical hit, Madea’s Big Happy Family, and the DVD release of Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns: Season 1.
Floyd (Williams) is the superintendent for an inner-city neighborhood apartment building. The building is diverse, but the lives of his residents are intertwined, and each is struggling with their own unique issues. Carol (Riley) is a single mother raising two teenagers, Anna (Stephanie Ferrett) and Peter (Wess Morgan) are newlyweds trying to cope with Anna’s meddling mother (Rachel Richards), and Neicey (D’Atra Hicks) and Belinda (Currelley-Young) are just trying to make ends meet. Withstanding all, this neighborhood comes together in hopes of finding redemption and a better life.
