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Synopsis
From the Back CoverRomantic 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.
Product Description
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.
Includes an interview with Linda Kelly, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of Richard Brinsley Sheridan: A Life.
Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in May 2011.
Adapted for Radio and Directed by: Martin Jarvis
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
An L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:
Rosalind Ayres as Mrs. Malaprop
Kenneth Danziger as Thomas
Lucy Davis as Lydia Languish
Neil Dickson as David
Sarah Drew as Julia
Julian Holloway as Sir Lucius OÕTrigger
Christopher Neame as Sir Anthony Absolute
Lloyd Owen as Captain Jack Absolute
Moira Quirk as Lucy
Alan Shearman as Fag
Simon Templeman as Bob Acres
Matthew Wolf as Faulkland
Associate Producer: Christina Montaño
Recording, Editing, and Mixing Engineer:
Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Sound Effects Artist: Tony Palermo
Review
"The cause of all this is love." What a wonderful way to begin this delightful comedy of romance, mistaken identity, and manners. First performed in London in 1775, this work is the theatrical link between Shakespeare and the modern-era works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. In this energetic production, the entire cast, including British television standouts Lloyd Owen and Lucy Davis, handle the heightened language and eighteenth-century rhythms with joy and clarity. But leave it to the incomparable Rosalind Ayres as Mrs. Malaprop to steal the show. The original source of the word "malapropism," the literarily unique Mrs. Malaprop has only to utter upside-down phrases like "she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile" to keep the listener doubled-up with laughter. Classic theater. B.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine --AudioFile Magazine
About the Author
"Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish playwright and poet, as well as long-term owner of the London Theatre Royale, Drury Lane. He was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford, Westminster, and Ilchester.
Broadway works include his first play The Rivals (John Street Theatre), A Trip to Scarborough (Cherry Lane Theatre), Everyman (Garden Theatre), A Tragedy Rehearsed (Daly’s Theatre), and The Critic and The School for Scandal, which is considered one of the greatest comedies of manners in English (John Street Theatre). Regionally produced plays include The Duenna (Center Stage)."