Tucked away in a side street of Bolton I found Bolton Little Theatre. What a beauty. A cosy 163 seat proscenium arch theatre with raked auditorium. I wasn't sure what to expect having never visited before but I was not disappointed, certainly not with the bar prices! What more could you wish for than a cosy welcoming theatre, cheap bar and Richard Sheridan's most famous Farce.
When an attractive seventeen year old heiress arrives in Bath under the tutelage of her widowed aunt, it is inevitable that suitors for her hand in marriage abound. There is a complication however. She would rather relinquish her fortune and elope with a penniless lover that “go simpering up to the altar with a bishop’s licence and her aunt’s blessing.” Matters are further confused by a belligerent impoverished Irishman with designs on her fortune. 
The Rivals is a play that I enjoy very much, the humorous situations the characters find themselves in, the over the top nature of Falklands' character, Lydia's innocence and of course Mrs Malaprop's malapropisms. I enjoyed that the set and props were minimal, meaning scene changes were nice and swift and there was no dead space for the audience and actors. Too much focus on these elements in amateur productions can draw the focus from the text and the performances. Sheridan's language is quite complex and a few of the actors at times let lines drop or lacked full vocal projection so occasionally the humour or punchline was lost.
That said stand out performances were from Pat Hill as Mrs Malaprop clearly no stranger to the stage and Peter Scofield as Sir Anthony Absolute. A special mention has to go to Drew Swankie as Captain Absolute who gave a very commendable performance for his debut theatre role. It is always nice to see company's nurturing local talent and for me makes the show more enjoyable.
It was opening night and this show will just keep improving as the run goes on, so be sure not to miss it. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to BLT and will be back again.
Next up is Dinner by Moira Buffini. The show listings are out until June 2017 so check out their website www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk there's something for everyone.
Reviewed on: 5th March 2016
Reviewed by: Jo Hollingsworth
