It might have been Meatloaf who sang, “I would do anything for love,” but the lyrics were surely meant for Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
It was 1772 and the Irish playwright and poet had a problem: Sheridan’s new wife, renowned singer and looker Elizabeth Linley, had just been publicly defamed in a newspaper advertisement by a former suitor. Sheridan’s honour was apparently so enraged by the act that he challenged the rival, Captain Thomas Mathews, to a duel.
They clashed first by candlelight in a tavern in Covent Garden, London, where Sheridan emerged victorious and unscathed.
Humiliated by the defeat and subsequent publicity, however, Mathews challenged Sheridan to a rematch, with societal pressures of the time forcing Sheridan acquiesce.
Both were wounded in the second duel, but Sheridan grievously so – his head severely beaten about by the hilt of a sword. Eight days later, though, a newspaper announcement declared that Sheridan would make a full recovery, while Mathews was reported to have escaped by horse-drawn carriage. (Oh, for the exhilarating days of covering duels in the newsroom…)
Fast forward a few years and Sheridan would turn to playwriting to support his and Elizabeth's lavish lifestyle. By the tender age of 24, he had completed his first play, The Rivals – an irreverent and acclaimed “comedy of manners”, which Blackbird Theatre is presenting Dec. 28-Jan. 23 at the Cultch.
The Rivals marks the 10th anniversary for the Vancouver theatre company, which has become known for filling this Christmas timeslot with the brilliance of timeless classics.
Based loosely on Sheridan’s real-life battle, The Rivals follows the exploits of Captain Jack Absolute (Vancouver export Martin Happer) as he courts the attention of a bookishly romantic young heiress (Emma Slipp) while fending off her other suitors.
“I don’t know exactly how close to his experience [The Rivals] was, but I have a feeling it’s not terribly close,” says Happer, with a laugh. “If you read about his experience, it’s actually horrifying. I mean, he almost died! [But] he’s turned that experience into this buoyant comedy. The play is nothing but fun and ridiculous,” Happer adds.
Born out of the Restoration comedy era, “comedies of manners” are known for being bawdy, satirical critiques on the rules and affectations of society. Often rooted in scandal, they set the scene with larger-than-life characters that twist themselves into ridiculous situations.
It’s all very British.
Directed by Jessie Award-winning Johnna Wright, this particular masterpiece, however, takes its tale of mistaken identity and overwrought romance from the 18th-century into the drawing rooms of Downton Abbey-ish Edwardian England.
Rounded out with an all-star cast of Vancouver-based classical actors – Gabrielle Rose as the linguistically challenged Mrs. Malaprop (the origin of the term “malapropism”), Scott Bellis, Duncan Fraser, Luisa Jojic, Kirk Smith, John Emmet Tracy, and Jenny Wasko-Paterson – The Rivals pits love, honour, obligation, and giant cock-ups against one another.
“[Jack has] made a grand faux pas,” explains Happer, his Dudley Do-Right-esque baritone perfectly suited for a misguided romantic lead. “His thinking is that he has a better chance of winning this gal’s heart if he pretends to be somebody else […] because he knows she has these really romantic ideas in her head. She wants to marry for love, she wants to marry someone who’s poor,” he continues. “She has all these grand ideas of what a realromance should be. So [Jack] presents himself to her originally as some other guy – lower in rank and poor. And of course this gets him into all sorts of trouble.”
It’s fairly familiar territory for Happer, who has spent 10 seasons with Ontario’s Euro-centric Shaw Festival, and was most recently back in Vancouver for British romp One Man, Two Guvnors with the Arts Club.
“This era [comedy of manners] is something that I haven’t really explored a lot professionally, but I find myself acting with an English accent more than I do any other accent. Even my own Canadian one!” he admits with a laugh. “I am drawn to that stuff. I like to think that I’m okay at doing that stuff,” he adds, cheekily. “And working at the Shaw Festival, obviously, you do a lot of plays that are British or European and a lot of them take place in a drawing room.
“When you get down to it, [The Rivals] is actually quite a bit different, but on the spectrum of things, it’s a short journey away from what I’m used to doing.”
• The Rivals runs Dec. 28-Jan. 23 at the Cultch (1895 Venables). Tickets from $29; TheCultch.com/tickets
