Frodsham Players go back 247 years for their latest show

THE Frodsham Players have gone back 247 years for their latest production – “The Rivals” – which opens at St Laurence Church tonight (Tuesday).
Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comedy – a classic of stage comedy – was published and produced in 1775.
But Frodsham theatregoers need not fear that the humour will be dated. It was funny when it was written and it remains hilarious today.
Set in the high society of 1770s Bath, this outrageous comedy of manners follows the complicated love lives of the minor aristocracy, complete with disguises, deceptions, misplaced love letters, duels to the death, and plenty of riotous laughter.
Lydia Languish is determined to marry for love and into poverty. Realizing this, the aristocratic Captain Jack Absolute claims to be a lowly Ensign to woo her.
But Lydia’s aunt, Mrs. Malaprop, will not permit her to wed a mere ensign, and tells her niece she will lose half her fortune if she marries without her permission.
The plot thickens and although the situations and characters of the play were not entirely new even in 1775, Sheridan’s rich wit and remarkable sense of theatrical effect gave them a freshness they still retain today.
The show is on nightly at 7.30pm until Friday.