Showing results by author "Richard Brinsley Sheridan" in All Categories

Romantic havoc ensues in the town of Bath when Sir Anthony arrives to arrange the marriage of his son Captain Jack Absolute to the wealthy Lydia Languish. Jack and Lydia are already in love, but because of Lydia’s obsession with romantic novels, Jack has disguised himself as a poor officer named Ensign Beverly – and he is only one of Lydia’s many suitors. i>The Rivals was Sheridan’s first play, and this charming comedy of manners continues to be widely performed today. Includes an interview with Linda Kelly, author of Richard Brinsley Sheridan: A Life.

A comedy of manners in five acts, The Rivals was Sheridan's second commercially produced play. The play is set in Bath in the 18th century, a town legendary for conspicuous consumption and fashion at the time. Wealthy, fashionable people went there to "take the waters", which were believed to have healing properties. Bath was much less exclusive than London, and provides an ideal setting for the characters.

Beware the gossips! Lady Sneerwell and her hireling, Snake, are certainly up to no good in this timeless send-up of hypocritical manners. Thanks to their scandal-mongering, the comely Lady Teazle must fend off the slanderous barbs that have caught the ear of her elderly husband - as well as every other gossip in London! What follows is a torrent of mistaken identities and sex-crazed scheming in which the upper classes have never looked so low class.

The idealistic Lydia Languish, reads nothing but romantic novels, and in doing so, believes she can only find true love in the arms of a man without wealth. Captain Jack Absolute has fallen in love with her, and pretends to be a penniless ensign to win her heart. Coming between these two lovers are some of the most extraordinary comic characters ever to grace a stage; the autocratic Sir Anthony Absolute, the misspeaking Mrs. Malaprop, the fiery Irishman from Clod hall - Sir Lucius O’Trigger; and poor Bob Acres, a country squire who finds himself with a dueling pistol in his hand.

Blistatel'naja komedija velikogo anglo-irlandskogo pisatelja Richarda Brinsli Sheridana (1751 - 1816) v ispolnenii zvezd teatra. Salon velikosvetskoj intriganki ledi Snirujel, kotoraja kotoraja obsuzhdaet so svoim napersnikom Snejkom poslednie dostizhenija na poprishhe aristokraticheskih koznej. Jeti dostizhenija izmerjajutsja chislom pogublennyh reputacij, rasstroennyh svadeb, zapushhennyh v obrashhenie neverojatnyh sluhov…

This superb comedy of manners pierces the pretentiousness and affectations of aristocratic Londoners in the late 1700s. Such aptly named characters as Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite, and Sir Joseph Surface make this a truly delightful romp!