Review: Lively comic melodrama 'The Rivals' opens at APT

By Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times

Some shows have content warnings. “The Rivals,” a raucous comedy now running at American Players Theatre, has a content welcome.

“We gather together in true celebration,” the cast croons, barbershop-style, in one of many musical interludes. The ladies and lovers, maids and gentlemen promise “sheer comedy.” They’re glad we made the trek up the hill, past the critters and the skeeters. “We need you to make us complete!”

Silly, bright and refreshingly contemporary in this adaptation, APT's “The Rivals” takes a 1775 script by Richard Brinsley Sheridan and brings it to life with bold colors and gentle hijinks. Director Aaron Posner gives the comedy a flamboyantly melodramatic staging, punctuated by chimes and musical flourishes the characters hear and respond to.

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