Answer:
The Rivals is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinkley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Convent Garden Theater on 17 January 1775.[2] The story has been updated in numerous adaptions, including a 1935 musical in London and a 1958 episode of the television series Maverick (see below) starring James Garner and Roger Moore, with attribution.
Explanation:
The Rivals was Sheridan's first play. At the time, he was a young newlywed living in Bath. At Sheridan's insistence, upon marriage his wife Eliza (born Elizabeth Lindley) had given up her career as a singer. This was proper for the wife of a "gentleman", but it was difficult because Eliza would have earned a substantial income as a performer. Instead, the Sheridan's lived beyond their means as they entertained the gentry and nobility with Eliza's singing (in private parties) and Richard's wit. Finally, in need of funds, Richard turned to the only craft that could gain him the remuneration he desired in a short time: he began writing a play. He had over the year written and published essays and poems, and among his papers were numerous unfinished plays, essays and political tracts, but never had he undertaken such an ambitious project as this. In a short time, however, he completed The Rivals.
