The Rivals

Description

The Rivals is one of the best plays by Irish dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan. A comedy in manners in five acts, the play is Sheridan’s very first writing and one that received less than favorable critiques from theater experts and the audience as well when it was put on stage for the first time – the play was actually stopped half-way through during the opening night and an apple was thrown at one of the major characters. Sheridan quickly withdrew the play and rewrote it, the second, improved version bringing the playwright the fame and the critical acclaim he was looking for.

The plot is set in Bath, a fashionable spa town in England and it features two young lovers, Jack and Lydia. Lydia loves romantic novels and has very romantic ideas about love and life, therefore she is truly fascinated when Jack who pretends to be called Ensign Beverley courts her and asks her to elope with him. However, there is another marriage arranged for Jack, one that he does not wish to honor and other men appear to court Lydia, too. There are lots of other mistaken identities and lots of misuse of words that sound similar, but everything becomes sorted out by the end.

The Rivals is a comedy, a farce that comes with every compulsory element of a farce. The characters are typical of the age and the setting is perfect for mocking at the shallowness of certain social classes. Sheridan’s language is elaborate and beautiful, the plot is full of unexpected turns, so those who love Restoration plays and are fans of brilliant comedies are in for a real treat with The Rivals. The play has been adapted to television several times and it has been made into a musical, too, making Sheridan’s name ring familiar to TV fans, as well as for those who love musical theater.
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