The Rivals - Softcover

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1494845172 ISBN 13: 9781494845179

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

The Rivals is the first major comedy by Richard Sheridan, a radical Irish actor and politician in George III's England. Not quite as complex and astute as his later She Stoops to Conquer, the Rivals remains a warm, unforgettable, and very, very funny play. Here we meet the chatty Mrs. Malaprop, who proudly tells us "if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs"; her niece Lydia, lost in the world of lurid half-bound romantic novels; Sir Anthony Absolute, often wrong but never in doubt; Sir Lucious O'Trigger, of BlunderBuss Hall; and the rest. The dialogue and plot devices are well-crafted and funny; the social commentary is perceptive and satisfyingly naughty; but what stays with you is the humanity of each of the characters. These are not the charicatures of Restoration comedy, but personalities the reader will remember; ridiculous like all humans, but engendering empathy as well as laughter.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

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. The Rivals was Sheridan's first play, and this charming comedy of manners continues to be widely performed today.

A L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance with Rosalind Ayres, Kenneth Danziger, Lucy Davis, Neil Dickson, Sarah Drew, Julian Holloway, Christopher Neame, Lloyd Owen, Moira Quirk, Alan Shearman, Simon Templeman and Matthew Wolf.

About the Author:

Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan ( 1751–1816) was an Irish playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as The Rivals, The School for Scandal and A Trip to Scarborough. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford (1780–1806), Westminster (1806–1807) and Ilchester (1807–1812). He was buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1494845172
• ISBN 13: 9781494845179
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 114