The Rivals- Bristol Old Vic

I saw David Tennant play this once, absolutely hilarious. Would love to see another production.

Saw it last week and loved it. A real treat to see it in that beautiful theatre, with some nice production design.
Brilliant performances by Lucy Briggs-Owen and Lee Mengo.
I'd highly recommend it.
For me, it shed an unfavourable light on the (for me) sub-par work that Tom Morris has put on these past few years in Bristol.

Fraid so Lynette, advertised for sometime that it is a co-production between BOV, Liverpool and the Citz. I saw the RSC production in 2000 with David Tennant and Wendy Craig, hilarious!

If it had played London, you'd all be whining about theatres producing the same old plays, and telling us that Bristol Old Vic, Citizens Theatre Glasgow and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse should instead have staged some bit of tat that was found in Sheridan's bottom drawer after his death.

Three cheers for this production!

I suppose that west coast port-dwellers were distraught that the Arcola production didn't transfer to Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol.

Saw this last night at the Liverpool Playhouse and absolutely loved it, it's among the highlights of my year's theatregoing for sure.

Lucy Briggs-Owen as Lydia is an absolute riot, so much so that any protracted period of time where she was off-stage I was impatiently waiting for her return. I'm still smiling 24 hours later thinking about the pouting lips, the hissy fits, throwing herself around with Kevin the Teenager esque mannerisms, mixed in with TOWIE style "Oh my God's" for good measure! It's one of the funniest performance I've seen on stage, on a par with Charlie Russell in the Comedy About a Bank Robbery and Imogen Doel in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Julie Legrand's Malaprop had me in stitches too - the joke about her use of language is such a simple device that with so much repetition should wear thin pretty quickly but actually it only got funnier as the evening progressed. I really enjoyed Lily Donovan's performance as servant Lucy too, great comedy timing with a twinkle in her eye, while Desmond Barrit was a tour-de-force and commanded the stage as Sir Anthony.

It was long at 2 hours 50 minutes but didn't drag at all. It looked at one point as though the evening may be cut short as 20 mins after the interval, Lydia and Malaprop were interrupted in their prime by the sound of the fire alarm and a recorded voice saying "Attention! Please leave the building immediately!". After 20 minutes of the audience huddling in Williamson Square, we were allowed back inside, the haze of the production having apparently triggering the alarm to be activated, and the play was able to resume. It was so funny seeing a Liverpool hen party encounter Desmond Barrit in full costume as Sir Anthony in the square, showering him with affection, posing for selfies - he was in his element!

Loved the set design for this, from the open wings to the various proscenium arch-frames and scenic backdrops, it worked really well, while the costumes are absolutely stunning.

I seem to be on a great roll of seeing fantastic productions at the Liverpool Playhouse. The three I've seen so far this year - The Herbal Bed, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, and now The Rivals - are all worthy of five stars. I'm already looking forward to my next visit in early November to see Things I Know To Be True. It's also nice to find a venue with genuinely welcoming staff, from sincerely greeting people as they arrive, to keeping people well informed of what was happening during the evacuation, and asking if people had enjoyed their evening and wishing them good night on their way out. It's the little things but it does make a difference.