Theatre Review | "The Rivals" 

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It can be easy to write off a play written in the 1700s as stuffy and outdated — and unfortunately, many plays deserve that dismissal.

“The Rivals” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan is an exception: this comedy is basically how 18th-century audiences were entertained by the foibles of the rich before binging reality TV was an option. The Rochester Community Players Irish Program presents this utterly unserious play in a lively production directed by Jean Gordon Ryon running at the MuCCC through April 6.

Set in Bath, England, the rivals of the title refer to the three men interested in marrying heiress Lydia Languish (Andrea Daszkiewicz), although there’s only one real contender. Wealthy, well-read and hungry for scandal, Lydia has fallen for an army officer named Beverley, a match she finds alluring because she believes her aunt would never approve. What’s hotter than marrying for love and losing your inheritance?

As it turns out, her aunt’s ideal suitor for Lydia is the wealthy Captain Jack Absolute (Matt Ralyea), who also goes by Beverley. Jack fools Lydia into thinking he’s a poor man who has fooled her aunt into thinking he’s the Captain, so she won’t lose interest when she learns the aunt actually approves of the match. Tomfoolery ensues.

The less competitive rivals are Sir Lucius (Wyatt Doremus), who himself is being fooled as he exchanges flirtatious letters with the aunt believing she’s the young heiress, and Bob Acres (G. Tristan Berlet), Jack’s fool of a friend who infuses each scene with the energy of a puppy chasing his own tail. This main story is complemented with a secondary “will they/won’t they” side plot between Faulkand (Ken Dauer) and Julia Melville (Jane Farrell).

The play was first produced in 1775, and Ryon smartly updates the era to the 1920s (which, the program notes, is also the decade the Rochester Community Players was founded). The decade is conveyed through costumes (designed by Shelly Jo Stam), including decadent sparkling jewelry and bobbed hair. Cultural references were swapped out to fit the theme, including nods to the Charleston dance, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover" and Emily Post’s "Etiquette." This update to a different bygone time is still removed enough from the present moment to maintain the believability of Sheridan’s elevated language, while allowing the actors to deliver lines in a more modernized, accessible way.

This historical distance also maintains the believability of the servant characters (David Byrne, T. Bohrer, Sean Dolan, Kathleen Doremus, and Emily Parry), who act as stagehands that set up the chairs, plants, and vanities of each new scene, always in character as they toss each other books or pretend to snooze. They announce each new location as though introducing a guest – a smooth way of orienting the audience through the many locations on the minimalist set (designed by Ken Dauer).

One of this play’s claims to fame is Lydia’s aunt Mrs. Malaprop, or the source of the word “malapropism”, which refers to the use of a wrong word that sounds similar to the intended one. The iconic character is delightfully brought to life by Vicki Casarett as a no-nonsense drama queen, who self-assuredly spews silliness like “reprimand the true meaning of what she’s saying” and “he’s the very pineapple of politeness.”

With its dense layer of language and wordplay, this 1775 play is not easy to pull off but the ensemble is more than up for the challenge. Daskiewicz as Lydia eases what could be an insufferably entitled character by evoking a silent film actress of the 1920s with her broad expressions and dramatic gestures. She’s well-complemented by Ralyea as Absolute, whose tight lips, raised eyebrows and winks to the audience add a hint of sitcom-esque showmanship. John R. Jaeger also offers an energetic ,over-the-top meltdown as Jack’s father Sir Anthony Absolute, who uses temper tantrums to get his son to obey him — all while insisting he is mild-mannered and sensible.

The whole cast has a great time hamming up the cartoonish absurdity of their characters and situations. The play lasts more than three hours with intermission, but the energy only increases as the antics accumulate into full-on chaos. For those seeking a goofy, 18th-century flapper-infused comedy with an enthusiastic cast, this production is – dare I say it – unrivaled.

"The Rivals" runs at MUCCC through April 6. Tickets and more information here.

Katherine Varga is a contributor to CITY.