“The Rivals” is touted as one of the funniest plays ever written. TheatreConspiracy and the Laboratory Theater are collaborating to perform an abbreviated adaptation of the comedy of manners Nov. 13-29.
It’s about Lydia Languish, an idealistic, wealthy young woman who insists on marrying a poor man for the sake of true love. So, the equally wealthy Captain Jack Absolute pretends to be a poor ensign to win her hand.
“The Rivals” is packed with mistaken identities, secret letters, jealous lovers and ridiculous duels. Too bad the Broadway revival of the 1775 play is 2½ hours long! But Theatre Conspiracy Artistic Director Bill Taylor’s adaptation comes in at a brisk hour and 40 minutes without sacrificing the playwright’s razor-sharp wit or comical romantic misunderstandings.
Fans of period pieces, elaborate costumes, powdered wigs and complicated social customs are in for a treat.
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Richard Brinsley Sheridan's “The Rivals” is regarded as one of the funniest plays ever written. It is also one of only a handful of comedies from the 18th century that is still regularly performed.
During the play, Captain Jack Absolute’s courtship of Lady Languish is nearly derailed by a number of extravagant secondary characters, including his acrimonious father, Sir Anthony Absolute, Lydia’s aunt, the infamously misspoken Mrs. Malaprop, and Jack’s former friend and future foe, the likable Bob Acres. The play includes a delightful subplot in which the romance between Jack’s friend, Faulkland, and his fiancée, Julia Melville, is disrupted by Faulkland's obsessive jealousy.
Mrs. Malprop is the play’s best-known character. Her ludicrous confusion of similar-sounding words has given her name to malapropisms.
Filled with extravagant characters, exuberant energy and numerous farcical devices, “The Rivals” is a joyous romp that skewers marriage, class and wealth. It exemplifies the comedic style of its time, addressing issues of love and societal norms with wit and charm.
The playwright
Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 - 1816) seemed destined to work in the theater. His father was an actor. His mother had published several novels. After falling in love and marrying at the age of 21, Sheridan tried his hand at playwrighting as a means of earning a living. “The Rivals” was his first play. It was, however, by no means an instant success.
The play was first performed on Jan. 17, 1775. It was panned for its excessive length. So, Sheridan cut it by an hour, strengthened the characters, replaced much of the cast and, 11 nights later, produced a new version that proved his merit as a great comic playwright.
Two years later, Sheridan wrote and directed “A School for Scandal,” which would become his masterpiece.
On Broadway
The first known production of "The Rivals" to have premiered on Broadway opened at the Erlanger's Theatre (now the St. James) on March 30, 1930, with a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, plus intermissions. It ran for 28 performances.
A revival opened at the Shubert Theatre on Jan. 14, 1942, and ran for 54 performances.
Taylor’s abbreviated adaptation
“I was first introduced to ‘The Rivals’ during my freshman year at Edison Community College, now FSW, and immediately fell in love with the characters and Sheridan's sense of humor,” Bill Taylor recalled. “Over the years, I kept coming back to the play, thinking about producing it, but its length was always a stumbling block. I knew that if I was going to do it, I wanted to take a stab at adapting it into something shorter and more accessible to today's audiences.”
Taylor finally made time to write a shorter version of the play.
“I put it on the schedule, gave myself a deadline, and made it happen,” said Taylor.
It was not easy shortening the play by nearly an hour without sacrificing everything that makes “The Rivals” so much fun.
“My goal was to keep everything I loved about the original, particularly Sheridan's wit, his wonderful characters, and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in, while creating a version that moves at a pace modern audiences will enjoy,” Taylor said.
But he’s pleased with the result.
“People have embraced period dramas on television for years, with their elaborate costumes, powdered wigs, and complicated social customs,” he said. “'The Rivals' takes place in that same world, but instead of a drama, it's a comedy filled with mistaken identities, romantic misunderstandings, and people making absolute fools of themselves in the name of love. It's a wonderful play that I've wanted to share with audiences for a very long time, and I'm excited to finally bring it to the stage.”
Creative team
Bill Taylor also directs, with costumes by Diana Waldier and stage management by Tiffany Campbell.
The cast
- Ian Buttion is Captain Jack Absolute
- Holly Hagen plays Lydia Languish
- Lauren Drexler is Mrs. Malaprop
- Scott Thompson portrays Sir Anthony Absolute
- Cooper Stone appears in the role of Faulkland
- Madelaine Weymouth plays Julia Melville
- Cicero McCarter is Sir Lucius O’Trigger
- Daniel Sabistan is Bob Acres
- Danica Murray plays the part of Lucy
- Greg Wojciechowski appears in the role of Fig
Performance dates:
- 7:30 performances are Nov. 13, 14, 19, 20, 27, 28, at 7:30 p.m.
- 2 p.m. matinees are Nov. 15, 21, 22 and 29.
There is no performance on Thanksgiving Day.
There is a half-price preview on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 14 - Teens see the show for free (using code STSTT).
Tickets
Tickets are $37 each or $15 for students with student IDs. There is a new Thursday night special ticket price of $32 each for adults.
For tickets, telephone the box office at 239-291-2905 or visit www.laboratorytheaterflorida.com.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
