The School for Scandal. The Duenna. Rivals

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) — one of the brightest individuals of his time, a man of many talents. He is known not only as a poet and playwright but also as a prominent parliamentarian, a member of the Whig party, and an outstanding orator. The book includes three famous plays by Sheridan: «The School for Scandal», «The Duenna», and «Rivals». These comic comedies of manners became a completely new phenomenon in the English theatre of the late 18th century — at that time, sentimental melodrama dominated the stages of Britain. In Russia, Sheridan's plays also enjoyed a successful fate; they were staged on renowned stages and adapted for film. A television version of the remarkable production of «The School for Scandal» by the Moscow Art Theatre in 1952 featuring outstanding actors — Mikhail Yanshin, Anatoly Ktorov, and Pavel Massalsky — has been preserved. In the film «The Duenna» (1978) based on the play of the English comedian, Tatiana Vasilieva, Yevgeny Leonov, and Irina Muravyova shone.