We take a look at what is being said about Tom Littler’s production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comedy.
Broadway World: **** “It’s a pacy show, despite its length of nearly two and half hours. Scenes are nicely punctuated with characters dancing the Charleston (credit to movement director Leah Harris) and lively, brassy, jazz-inspired music. Anett Black and Neil Irish have gone all-out on costumes, with sharp tailoring, slinky fabrics and wonderful plummage for Mrs Malaprop’s hats.”
The Guardian: *** “It is bubbly but not quite champagne, lacking the hard, sharp kick of Sheridan’s satire on power, class and poverty. The humour remains playful, unserrated around the edges, as if nothing more than a game.”
All That Dazzles: **** “It may be set in 1927, but there is something about this production of The Rivals that brings us bang up to date. A snapshot of a very different time that dips one toe into the modern climate, inspired direction and an exceptional cast result in a perfect match of this bold and brilliant production that is sure to go unrivalled when compared to its counterparts.”
The Reviews Hub: ***** “Patricia Hodge and Robert Bathurst bring glitter to the cast, Hodge giving Mrs Malaprop perfect crispness, and Bathurst is masterly as the patrician Absolute père. Kit Young is magnificent as Jack, both in his comic timing and his sensational dancing. Zoe Brough and Boadicea Ricketts are perfectly cast as the young beauties, Lydia and Julia, and Dylan Corbett-Bader is hilarious as the hapless Bob Acres. Colum Gormley successfully transforms Lucius O’Trigger into a swaggering American.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “As always, comedy is subjective. This revival of a canonical classic makes for a pleasant diversion, though it does, to this reviewer at least, feel like one that’s more likely to elicit polite laughter than anything that arises wholeheartedly from the belly.”
Theatre & Tonic: ***** “This sparkling production is filled with glorious silliness and stands as a worthy successor to Sheridan’s original. Bursting with fantastic performances, sumptuous costumes, and gleaming satire, it will make even the most saturnine thespian giggle. It is the perfect show with which to start the new year. If you’re looking for a production that will lift the gloom of January and send you home with a spring in your step and a warm smile, this is the show for you.”
The Arts Desk: **** “This is a witty, knowing production, with the audience at all times included in the joke. Sitting on all four sides of the action, the front rows are sometimes even directly engaged: “Avert your eyes, Madam”, instructs Faulty as Jack rises from his bubble bath, and Mrs Malaprop gets people to shove up so that she can hide behind a programme to eavesdrop on Lydia and Jack.”
Theatre Weekly: ***** “Littler’s adaptation of The Rivals is a marvellous production in which every immensely talented cast member shines, and I look forward to seeing what he has planned next.”
The Standard: *** “The combination of famous names and exciting young acting talent is one that plays well with Littler’s comfortable audience: many performances are sold out. And it looks gorgeous. But right now this reworked classic feels something less than a mantlepiece. Sorry, I mean a masterpiece.”
British Theatre Guide: “In keeping with its 1920s staging, Tom Littler’s lively production turns scene changes and marks some particular quirky moments into Charleston dancing, which sometimes seems too dominant and the Jeeve’s world and reality not blending well.”
The Rivals continues to play until the 24th January.