The Rivals

About the show

Starring Robert Bathurst and Patricia Hodge

Bath in the Roaring Twenties: risqué revelry, romance, and rivalry in the Assembly Rooms – a town torn between tradition and the new age.

Lydia and Jack are made for each other – but Lydia’s a rebel and Jack’s too posh to be her beau. What’s a chap to do? A little harmless deception, of course. Meanwhile, Jack’s father, Anthony Absolute, is determined to be obeyed, and Lydia’s guardian Mrs Malaprop is seeking a love-affair of her own – if only she could find the right words…

Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s sparkling satire of love and language has lost none of its bite and brilliance. OT Artistic Director Tom Littler gives this 250th anniversary revival a jazzy new production: a sumptuous treat to chase away the winter cold.