The Rivals cover art

The Rivals

A Radio Dramatization

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Rivals

By: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Narrated by: The Colonial Radio Players
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.99

Buy Now for £6.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

The Rivals has been delighting audiences since its very first presentation at London's Covent Garden Theatre on January 17th, 1775.

The idealistic Lydia Languish, reads nothing but romantic novels, and in doing so, believes she can only find true love in the arms of a man without wealth. Captain Jack Absolute has fallen in love with her, and pretends to be a penniless ensign to win her heart. Coming between these two lovers are some of the most extraordinary comic characters ever to grace a stage; the autocratic Sir Anthony Absolute, the misspeaking Mrs. Malaprop, the fiery Irishman from Clod hall - Sir Lucius O’Trigger; and poor Bob Acres, a country squire who finds himself with a dueling pistol in his hand. One of the funniest late-Restoration comedies, “The Rivals” has spanned the centuries, and will continue to do so.

©2012 The Colonial Radio Theater (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Drama European Literary History & Criticism World Literature

Listeners also enjoyed...

The School for Scandal cover art
The Noel Coward BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Joseph Andrews cover art
The Yellowplush Papers cover art
Belinda cover art
Stories from Shakespeare 3 cover art
A Midsummer Night's Dream cover art
Vicar of Wakefield cover art
W.M. Thackeray: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Life of Samuel Johnson cover art
The Duchess of Malfi & The White Devil cover art
The Christopher Marlowe BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Tennessee Williams: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Pigs Have Wings cover art
Timon of Athens cover art
Can You Forgive Her? cover art
All stars
Most relevant
Whilst the cast give it there all, unfortunately their accents are universally poor and woefully inconsistent which detracts from the play itself.

The story and wit

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.