The Rivals is set in Bath, a holiday resort brimming with life, gossip and love triangles, not dissimilar to the social decadence of modern-day sojourns to Brighton or even Ibiza! Bath was at its fashionable height in late 18th century and as a resident, Richard Brinsley Sheridan would have met plenty of interesting characters who were immersed in Bath’s frenetic social calendar and the fashionable pastimes on offer- gambling, promenading and encounters leading to romance and mischief!
Sheridan wrote The Rivals 236 years ago and yet the characters and the situations could easily be compared to a modern -day rom com: star crossed lovers, angry parents, love triangles, greed and corruption all portrayed through Sheridan’s quick- witted word play. Sheridan loved poking fun at the characters he created. |
Love them or hate them; you cannot help admiring the hedonistic endeavours of these characters to get what they want, no matter what, revealing their vacuous, present- dwelling desires.
This production is not so much about the traditional posturing and foppishness usually associated with a Comedy of Manners but an exposed portrayal of these characters in their hilarious shallow behaviour. The actors have enjoyed developing the two sides of their characters, what they really want inside and how they present the expected facade within their social circle. |
“He is the very pineapple of politeness!”