After the Game is a humorous, fast-paced play that highlights the camaraderie and misfortunes of a group of college students after attending a football game. The dialogue is filled with 1920s slang and comedic exaggeration, making it a lively representation of student life at the time. The play’s structure, with quick scene changes and snappy exchanges, resembles vaudeville humor and slapstick comedy.

The central joke revolves around Tommy, who believes he has lost his train ticket and endures an absurdly difficult journey home—only to find out in the end that his ticket was safe all along. Howard’s comedic timing and escalation of Tommy’s misfortunes make this play a rare example of his talent for humor, contrasting with the adventure and fantasy tales for which he is better known.