"The Rivals" an unrivaled comedy

Due to the lack of space I had to work with this week for the newspaper, my review for the play was cut extremely short. In order to make justice to myself, and to the theater department Photo:Marisa Klug-Morataya
Mrs. Malaprop (Maria Lopez) confides in Captain
Absolute unaware of his alter ego and plotting, I will now rant on and on about how I was so fortunate to enjoy one of the best plays I've seen seen so far. Thank you Renee for the free tickets

I enjoy being in the newspaper for benefits like this.

First of all, let me just start with congratulating every member of the cast. Everyone made the play special and memorable in their own way. Kudos to every single one of you.


"The Rivals" was unlike any other play I had previously attended. Not only was it my first here at Cerritos, but the location it was in was a bit strange to me. Usually I am seated in those huge theaters where I have to practically squint my eyes to see the actors on the stage. I never complained then, because it was my own fault for getting there late, and getting a crappy seat.


This play however was not in the huge theater we have at campus, it was inside the BC Building. A much smaller, and intimate theater. It had a stage,and the seats were so up close, that you could see every expression in the actor's faces. If they ever made a mistake, oh, ! I and all the 40 something people in the audience would of caught it. Luckily for the cast, the performance was almost flawless.


The two characters that made it happen for me were Mrs. Malaprop (Barbara Lopez, she was performed her character that night) and Lydia Languish ( Susannah Kim). These two women were absolutely amazing. They made me laugh like no other. I was surprised I wasn't kicked out of the theater. Mrs. Malaprop character was by far the funniest. I sure the rest of the audience agreed with me because I wasn't the only one laughing.


"Come here Lydia, you hussy!" was one of the lines Mrs. Malaprop used constantly over the play.Photo:Marisa-Klug Morataya
Captain Absolute woos Lydia Languish Her bad use of vocabulary was also very funny. “...I have since laid Sir Anthony’s preposition before her...” (what she really should have said was “... I have since laid Sir Anthony’s proposition before her.) Something small like that made her character stand out and be memorable.

Lydia was just cute and hilarious in her own way. This particular woman was so such a great performer to watch. Her facial expressions ranged from sour to happy constantly. It was great. Made me laugh every time.


Also, what made the play stand out were the costumes. They were all beautiful. I have been to plays were the costumes are made out of crap. They look so cheesy and last minute, but this play all the costumes were so bright and colorful. They made the play so much better. It gave me and the audience a sense of how people really used to dress back in 1795.
I on the other hand would die if I wore that around the street nowadays.


My only problem with the play had to be some of the accents. I know it was purposely done to make a point. But there was one in particular that was very hard to understand. I had no idea what she was saying, and neither did the couple next to me. They must have murmured to each other " What! I can't understand anything she is saying," at least three times. Other than that it was perfect.


This play is on my favorites list and I can't wait to see what the theater department has in store for next time.