The Rivals
27 January 2026 – 31 January 2026
The most famous play set in Bath celebrates its 250th anniversary in a sparkling revival!
“You thought? Thought does not become a young woman.”
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, Sir Anthony Absolute, is absolutely 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. Orange Tree Theatre Artistic Director Tom Littler gives this 250th anniversary revival a jazzy new production, a sumptuous treat to chase away the winter cold.
Patricia Hodge, one of our leading stage actors and widely known from Miranda and Rumpole of the Bailey, stars in the iconic role of Mrs Malaprop. Alongside her as the irascible Sir Anthony Absolute is Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Joking Apart). Zoe Brough returns following her role as Nell Gwyn in Playhouse Creatures to play Lydia Languish, opposite Kit Young (Shadow and Bone, Out of Darkness) as Jack
Absolute.
“A blast. It’ll send you out with a silly smile on your face” Time Out
“Sheridan’s timeless satire on the caprices of passion” The Guardian
“Ripely entertaining… Mrs. Malaprop’s often inspired mangling of the English language” Daily Telegraph
