The Rivals

“a masterful bit of classic theatre”  Vancouver Sun

Blackbird Theatre, 2015/2016
by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Adapted & Directed by Johnna Wright
Set Design: David Roberts
Costume Design: Sheila White
Lighting Design: Alan Brodie
Music Composition: Bruce Ruddell
Stage Management: Joanne P.B. Smith, Ariel Martz-Oberlander

CAST: Scott Bellis, Duncan Fraser, Martin Happer, Luisa Jojic, Gabrielle Rose, Jenny Paterson, Emma Slipp, Kirk Smith, John Emmet Tracy

photos by Tim Matheson

Jessie Richardson Awards:
Gabrielle Rose, Outstanding Supporting Actress
Sheila White, Outstanding Costume Design
(4 nominations)

“As sparkly as a glass of champagne”  Vancouver Sun 

“…the opening scene shifts so the play focuses much more overtly on the relationships between the female characters.”  Vancouver Sun

“It’s a treat to see a classic so well realized.” Georgia Straight

“The Rivals Entertains With Still-Timely Wit”  Georgia Straight

“a masterful bit of classic theatre that will make a delightful way to start a new year.” Vancouver Sun 

“Director Johnna Wright underscores the hypocrisy or two-sidedness that thrums beneath the surface of almost every interaction” Georgia Straight

“It’s a credit to both director and cast that Sheridan’s language feels contemporary” Georgia Straight

“…delightfully frothy entertainment to banish the January cold and to warm the heart.” Vancouver Courier

“There’s a great deal of fun to be had in trying to track the many mistakes the character makes, but in Rose’s hands, Mrs. Malaprop grows to be more than a joke.” Vancouver Sun

“Rather than layering on madcap stage business, Wright gives the repartee room to breathe, trusting the skill of the performers with the lightning fast dialogue.” Vancouver Sun

“This production’s successes are more than even Mrs. Malaprop could reprehend.”  Georgia Straight

“Duncan Fraser… had the room in stitches on more than one occasion” Vancouver Sun

“comic gold” Georgia Straight

“……the funniest show I’ve ever seen in Vancouver.”  Lords of Dogwood

“Its deliciously idiosyncratic characters and generous lashings of verbal wit are what make it a classic…” Georgia Straight

“From the moment Wasko-Paterson appears onstage with an armload of sentimental literature…, it feels as though we are in capable hands.”  Vancouver Sun