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Podcast: Today In History with The Retrospectors
Episode: Rebooting 'The Rivals'
Description: The first night of Richard Sheridan’s classic comedy ‘The Rivals’ did not go according to plan. Critics thought it was too long, the Irish gentry in the audience were insulted, and an actor was pelted with rotten fruit. It closed after one performance on 17th January, 1775.But then… after eleven days of rewrites, recasting and edits (a process Sheridan called “prunings, trimmings and patchings”), the show re-opened - and became the much-loved hit it remains to this day.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly expose how Sheridan exploited his notoriety in Bath to put bums on...