THE RIVALRY BEGINS . . . AT THE CAINE LYRIC THEATRE

July 4, 5 and 6 marks the opening of the Old Lyric Repertory Company?s (OLRC) third play of the summer, ?The Rivals.? The romantic comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan debuts at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening performance at 8 p.m. on Saturday. All performances are at the Caine Lyric Theatre (28 W. Center St.) in downtown Logan.

In this drawing room comedy, Captain Absolute masquerades as Ensign Beverly in order to win the love of Lydia Languish, who is addicted to romance novels. However, Lydia?s controlling aunt, Mrs. Malaprop, and Absolute?s father have other plans for their relations. Meanwhile Faulkland, Absolute?s friend, is in love with Julia, Lydia?s cousin. Sir Lucius O’ Trigger, secretly corresponding with Mrs. Malaprop in the belief that she is a girl named Delia, convinces another suitor, Bob Acres, to fight a duel with Ensign Beverly for Lydia. Confused? Only watching the play can clear everything up.

The production director Adrianne Moore called the play a thoughtful romp. ?It?s very funny, but the humor is derived from the witty dialogue and the absurd, but terribly human, posturing these characters indulge in,? she said. ?Although it deals mostly with upper class characters, the themes of absurdity and the folly of human behavior, especially when trying to impress, are universal.?

The cast of ?The Rivals? includes several Actors? Equity Association (AEA) members, OLRC veterans and company newcomers. Fred Willeke (AEA) takes on yet another OLRC role as Sir Anthony Absolute. Leigh Selting (AEA) adds the character Bob Acres to his OLRC repertoire. Newcomer Jayne Luke (AEA) portrays Mrs. Malaprop, complemented by Vanessa Brenchley as Julia and Amber Lynn Tuttle as Lydia Languish. Eric VanTielen switches gears from his tour de force ride in ?One for the Pot? to play the testy Faulkland. Steven Fehr transforms into Lucius O’ Trigger and Aaron Lamb takes the stage as the dashing Captain Jack Absolute.

What can audience members expect from this OLRC production?

?It should give patrons the opportunity to see a variety of actors, both professional and student,? Moore said. ?We hope the audience will leave delighted by the characters and their posturing, and make their own connections to behavior, relationships and attitudes that also seem very contemporary. The summer [ORLC season] should be a balanced experience for theatre patrons.?

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an author of comedies, a theatre manager and a politician. His first play, ?The Rivals,? was first presented in 1775 at London?s Covent Garden Theatre and has never been ?off the boards? for long ever since. The play was seen in New York during the late 1930s before a 1975 production by the off-Broadway Roundabout Theatre Company, also in New York. A 1983 revival of ?The Rivals? was staged by the National Theater in London, directed by Peter Wood starring Michael Hordern and Geraldine McEwan. In 1997, a London production of the show was presented at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and in the year 2000, the Acting Company in New York mounted a revival in an off-Broadway run.

?The Rivals? is staged a number of times through July into August as part of the OLRC season. Saturday, July 20, offers another matinee and evening performance opportunity for audience members. There is an evening show on Thursday, July 25, with the final staging of ?The Rivals? on Friday, Aug. 2. Evening curtain time is at 8 p.m., while matinee shows are at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $8-$15. The OLRC also offers a ?Student Rush? for patrons in high school and college who present a valid activity card. Students can show up at the box office 15 minutes before curtain and purchase tickets for half price. Tickets are available at the Spectrum Ticket Office (435-797-0305) between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., at the USU Taggart Student Center Customer Service Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the Caine Lyric box office (28 W. Center) after 7 p.m. on performance evenings and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets sold at the Caine Lyric box office are for that day?s performance only. For more information, call 797-1500.

OLRC is an educational program provided by Utah State University and its Department of Theatre Arts. It is a summer performance program for advanced theatre students working with professionals.

OLRC is supported by grants from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Bridgerland Travel Region, City of Logan, Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment and Utah Arts Council-Old Lyric Repertory Company Matching Endowment Fund.

Four productions are presented in repertory throughout the summer. The fourth play in the rotation, ?Dial M? for Murder,? opens July 11.