"Rivals" Rounds Out Season
At The Huntington

The Huntington Theatre Company has announced that the final selection for its 2004-2005 season will be "The Rivals" by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Performance dates are January 7 - February 6, 2005.

Written in 1775, "The Rivals" satirizes the trappings of marriage and wealth. Affluent Captain Jack Absolute disguises himself as a poor naval officer in order to woo the idealistic Lydia Languish, to whom wealth means nothing. Mistaken identities and misconstrued circumstances set the stage for a satire of romance, materialism and pretensions.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan, considered one of Britain's greatest comic writers, was part owner and playwright of the Drury Lane Theatre. His other works include "School for Scandal," "The Critic" and "The Dilemma." By age 30, he had left the theatre to become a statesman, was elected to Parliament, and had a large hand in shaping British governmental affairs until his death.

It is interesting to note that the phrase "malapropism" is derived from his "Rivals" character Mrs. Maloprop, who continually uses sophisticated words incorrectly to great comic effect. For example: "If I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!"

The Huntington's 23rd Season is the first season to feature productions at the new Theatre Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts; the season will consist of seven productions - five to be performed at the Boston University Theatre on Huntington Avenue, and two to be performed at the Virginia Wimberly Theatre in the Theatre Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts.

The full 2004-2005 Season now includes:

August Wilson's
"Gem Of The Ocean"
September 10 - October 10, 2004
Boston University Theatre

"Sonia Flew"
World Premiere by Melinda Lopez
October 8 - November 28, 2004
Virginia Wimberly Theatre

"Burn This"
by Lanford Wilson
November 12 - December 12, 2004
Boston University Theatre

"36 Views"
by Naomi Iizuka
March 11 - April 10, 2005
Boston University Theatre

"Culture Clash In America"
Created, written, and performed by Culture Clash:
Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza
March 18 - May 8, 2005
Virginia Wimberly Theatre

"Falsettos
Music and lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn and James Lapine
May 20 - June 19, 2005
Boston University Theatre

In association with Broadway in Boston, the Huntington will also present:
The Abbey Theatre of Ireland's production of
"The Playboy of the Western World"
by J.M. Synge
Directed by the Abbey's Artistic Director Ben Barnes
November 2 - 28, 2004
The Wilbur Theatre

Tickets are currently available via subscription only.  For more information, contact the Huntington at 617-266-0800, or visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

-- OnStage Boston

5/6/04