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Actors Comedy Lab & Raleigh Little Theatre Present THE RIVALS, Opening Tonight

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The Rivals opens in Raleigh Little Theatre's Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre tonight, October 2, 2015 and runs through October 18th. Production dates are: October 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th & 17th at 8:pm and October 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th & 18th at 3:pm. Raleigh Little Theatre is located at 301 Pogue St. adjacent to the Raleigh Rose Garden

Captain Jack Absolute is visiting the resort town of Bath to court rich heiress, Lydia Languish. Although he's almost as rich as she, he's pretending to be an impoverished ensign named Beverley to fit Lydia's notion of a romantic love affair as gleaned from the trashy novels she reads. Unknown to the lovers, however, her maid Lucy has sold them out to her aunt, Mrs. Malalprop, who forbids Lydia to leave the house, while Mrs. Malaprop hunts for more appropriate suitors than "Beverley" for the young heiress. Bob Acres, a clueless country gentleman, was one possibility, but Lydia can't stand him, so Mrs. Malaprop arranges an engagement with the wealthy Sir Anthony Absolute for his son, Jack. Not knowing that Jack and Beverley are the same person, Lydia refuses to meet her beloved Beverley's rival, and when Sir Anthony springs the news of his impending betrothal on Jack (carelessly neglecting to mention the identity of the bride-to-be), Jack is equally reluctant to give up Lydia. Throw in Jack's neurotic friend, Faulkland, and his long-suffering fiancée, Julia, plus a swirl of mistakes, misunderstandings, and a duel where Jack is slated to fight as both himself and "Ensign Beverley, and you have a comedy with timeless charm.

Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim, who is supplying the majority of fabric and costume pieces for the production, writes, "We are big fans of the RLT and the creative work they do in the community. We are excited to be working with them on the costumes for The Rivals." ###

About Raleigh Little Theatre:

Founded in 1936, RLT is one of the oldest, continuously operating community theatres in the United States and offers entertainment, education and community programing year-round, reaching 40,000 people. As a community theatre, RLT engages hundreds of volunteers, under the guidance of professional staff, to achieve its mission and to bring quality live theatre to the Triangle area.

About Actors Comedy Lab:

Actors Comedy Lab is a 501©(3) non-profit theatre company dedicated to the craft of comedy. Founded in 1997 by Rod & Nancy Rich and their cohorts in comedy, Jack & Bunny Safron, Actors Comedy Lab is serious about being funny.

For tickets contact the RLT box office (919)821-3111, Monday through Friday, noon to 5:pm or visit the theatre's website at www.raleighlittletheatre.org.

Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Direction of a Musical - Top 3
1. Michael Arden - The Lost Boys
33.4% of votes
2. Tim Jackson - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
15.5% of votes
3. Lear deBessonet - Ragtime
10.4% of votes

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