Review by Simon Jenner, June 25th 2025
Five actors, eleven roles. It can only be one of those select touring companies who come to Brighton’s Open Air Theatre (BOAT). Rain or Shine, founded in 1998, is extraordinary: with a clarity that some performers can’t equal when miced up. They bring Sheridan’s 1775 The Rivals for its 250th birthday to BOAT for one performance directed by Jonathan Legg, who’s helmed many of their shows. It tours non-stop till August 31st: there’s bound to be a performance near you.
Emily Harveson and Charles Upton. Photo Credit: Tony Hickey
This is one of the finest productions I’ve seen at BOAT. Charles Upton, Emily Harverson, Anthony Young, Pippa Meekings, Adam Wright make up a sparkling team where co-founder “costumier supreme” Jayne Lloyd has produced and single-handedly crafted costumes and props for every production over 28 years. Period costumes, as images show, are intricately-observed and dazzle. Music – Handel, Boyce, Scarlatti underpins discreetly.
Though remembered best for introducing Mrs Malaprop, this is a play delighting in real life (Sheridan did elope), tamed by conventions and excited by fiction. It’s also a response to Goldsmith’s recent She Stoops to Conquer where Kate Hardcastle realises the man she wants is tongue-tied in front of ‘ladies’, so pretends to be a maid.
Here, Sheridan more esoterically reverses gender. Lydia Languish (one of Emily Harverson’s roles) after reading so much fiction won’t deign to love a rich heir, like Captain Jack Absolute (Charles Upton). But poor Ensign Beverley wins her heart. Slight trouble ahead: he is Absolute, who knows Lydia’s prejudice. And he’s pursued by his Absolute, father Sir Anthony (Anthony Young), a scarlet-puffing contradiction. A man who disowns, cajoles, then cheers his son for doing something disownable. Anthony’s determined Jack shall marry his choice. Or he’ll cut him off. But neither get their words out. Anthony’s choice happens to be Lydia Languish.
Every cast-member projects without need of mic. Every syllable is clear; never edging parody. There’s also a stillness, a certainty of character inhabited in that moment; with sharp distinction of accent and identity.
Scenes of bluster and remonstrance are delicious: Young’s superb as the contrarian old buffer, a stock character distinguished by Sheridan’s thrusting him to extremes. Young’s also uproarious as maid Lucy “Not bad for Simplicity” being the perennial smart servant; here unregarded by all but Lydia, so able to plot. One moment has them handing out Lydia’s novels to the audience, hiding them from Mrs Malaprop. I’m not sure they got them back.
Upton’s small part as Coachman Thomas paradoxically has him banter with Haverson’s excellent Fag, two male servants, where only Fag returns. Upton’s role as Jack means making the lead romantic interesting beyond his plotting: 100 years on from Restoration fops there’s only the gleam of darkness they conjured. Jack could elope with a willing Lydia, as Sheridan himself eloped. But she’d forfeit her dowry. Or play the long game. As Anthony notes, purchasing land “you have to take the livestock” in one of the most outrageously witty lines in the play. Jack’s more interested in livestock, but land’s important.
Harverson’s a delight as Lydia, banishing any “languish” – more mildly erotic swoon. Her Lydia’s forthright, sincere in feeling beyond her fancy of impoverished heroes; and elsewhere quick-witted though stubborn. This Lydia’s real.
It’s complicated further by interfering guardian aunt “weather-beaten dragon” Mrs Malaprop (Pippa Meekings gloriously oblivious in one of three roles), where Meekings rips through the dictionary, even if famous lines have to be trimmed with Meekings’ tripling roles on the same night. Her interaction with Harverson’s Lydia is one long chase verbally and physically. With Upton’s Jack she’s all preen; with Adam Wright’s Sir Lucius, you’ll have to see.
Here, Meekings manages stiff gesticulations, creaky primping, swooping outrage and a riffling through malapropisms, including “effluence” and “he is the very pineapple of politeness”, and delivering “she’s as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile” about Lydia. Of Berkeley’s there’s the stentorian authority of: “illiterate him quite from your memory.” Of herself, Mrs Malaprop is serene: “Sure, if I reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!” There’s many that survive trimming to two two-hours-25 with interval.
Cats-cradles come with two other suitors for Lydia. One is Jack’s friend Bob Acres (Meekings again, here roast-beef squirearchy, less dyspepsic than Sir Anthony). He’s only a problem in that a more dangerous suitor, Sir Lucius O’Trigger (Adam Wright) persuades him to fight the fictional Berkeley. Bob’s secretly petrified. Meanwhile Lucius wants to fight this Absolute, who being in the army can’t issue and doesn’t want to answer a challenge: but will, being heroic.
Meekings and Wright fill the sub-plot. Here it’s Meekings as Lydia’s cousin (and Sir Anthony’s ward) Julia Melbourne. Julia loves self-doubting, Julia-doubting Faukland. Foil to Jack, touched with self-sabotaging misanthropy, he’s a darkly comic bundle of self-contradiction, once irritating Julia to exit. Then convinced she’ll return: now, now and… Faukland’s pushed too far. This time.
The cloaked Wright telegraphing misery from a wrap-round soul, recesses the Oirish tone and swagger marking his Sir Lucius. Meekings’ joyful Julia is like Jack the most lucid character, and warmest-hearted. She accepts Faukland’s moroseness, might even cure him. Julia’s a lightning-rod to everyone’s frustrations, and sparks much-needed release. With such a superb cast it’s almost invidious to highlight Meekings’ outstanding triple-headed performance: but it’s a compliment to all.
This company re-thinks Sheridan in his spirit: clear and steady as lead-crystal struck through with sun. The inventiveness of filleting the text to guy the fact of a five-strong cast is part of their distinction. Moments when one character reminds another they must vamoose to return as someone else; and other such winks. Of those novels, one’s by Mrs Gillian Cooper. Rivals. Other titles are real too. How this plays out is more than worth finding out. It’s a must-see.
Produced, Designed and Costumes by Jayne Lloyd, Publicity Administration & Website Philippa Keeves, Electrics & Finance Administration Ken Meekings.
Emily Harveson, Pippa Meekings and Anthony Young. Photo Credit: Tony Hickey
