The Rivals

Sheridan’s classic comedy The Rivals celebrates its two hundred and fiftieth birthday this year, and Orange Tree director Tom Littler has thrown it a party, with the guest of honour Patricia Hodge as sentence-mangling busybody Mrs Malaprop. She’s joined by Robert Bathurst, Kit Young and Zoe Brough in the delightful romp that revolves around posh boy Jack Absolute inventing a fictional, lower class ‘rival’ in order to help him woo the rebellious Lydia.