The Rivals - New Mermaids Author:Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Elizabeth Duthie Immensely popular comedy of manners featuring such memorable characters as the lovely Lydia Languish, her suitor, Capt. Jack Absolute; and Lydia’s aunt—Mrs. Malaprop, cleverly revolves around false identities, romantic entanglements, and parental disapproval. Brilliant comic masterpiece satirizing the pretentiousness and sentimentali... more »ty of 18th-century society will entertain and delight students of English drama and theater devotees alike.« less