The Rivals
A Radio Dramatization
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The Rivals
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Narrated by:
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The Colonial Radio Players
About this listen
The Rivals has been delighting audiences since its very first presentation at London's Covent Garden Theatre on January 17th, 1775.
The idealistic Lydia Languish, reads nothing but romantic novels, and in doing so, believes she can only find true love in the arms of a man without wealth. Captain Jack Absolute has fallen in love with her, and pretends to be a penniless ensign to win her heart. Coming between these two lovers are some of the most extraordinary comic characters ever to grace a stage; the autocratic Sir Anthony Absolute, the misspeaking Mrs. Malaprop, the fiery Irishman from Clod hall - Sir Lucius O’Trigger; and poor Bob Acres, a country squire who finds himself with a dueling pistol in his hand. One of the funniest late-Restoration comedies, “The Rivals” has spanned the centuries, and will continue to do so.
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-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 114
Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, published in 1740, tells the story of a young woman's resistance to the desires of her predatory master. Pamela is determined to protect her virginity and remain a paragon of virtue; however, the heroine's moral principles only strengthen the resolve of Mr. B and Pamela soon finds herself imprisoned against her will. The young woman's affection for her captor gradually grows and she becomes aware of a love that combines eros and agape.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The one, the only, Pamela!
- By Eve Howard on 09-07-17
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The School for Scandal
- By: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
- Narrated by: Stuart Bunce, Jane Carr, John Francis Harries, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 36
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Beware the gossips! Lady Sneerwell and her hireling, Snake, are certainly up to no good in this timeless send-up of hypocritical manners. Thanks to their scandal-mongering, the comely Lady Teazle must fend off the slanderous barbs that have caught the ear of her elderly husband - as well as every other gossip in London! What follows is a torrent of mistaken identities and sex-crazed scheming in which the upper classes have never looked so low class.
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4 out of 5 stars
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This is a play for English Lit students!
- By Kemdi on 03-25-15
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The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatized)
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: James Marsters, Charles Busch, Emily Bergl, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,876
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,615
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,612
This final play from the pen of Oscar Wilde is a stylish send-up of Victorian courtship and manners, complete with assumed names, mistaken lovers, and a lost handbag. Jack and Algernon are best friends, both wooing ladies who think their names are Ernest, "that name which inspires absolute confidence". Wilde's effervescent wit, scathing social satire, and high farce make this one of the most cherished plays in the English language.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Delightfully silly
- By Tad Davis on 09-12-11
By: Oscar Wilde
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Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 131
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Story4 out of 5 stars 112
On the death of his son, Sir Harry Hotspur had determined to give his property to his daughter Emily. She is beautiful and as strong-willed and high-principled as her father. Then she falls in love with the black-sheep of the family.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Sometimes a Great Fall
- By Joseph R on 08-29-09
By: Anthony Trollope
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Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady, Volume 1
- By: Samuel Richardson
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Lucy Scott, Roger May, and others
- Length: 33 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 62
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
A milestone in the history of the novel, Samuel Richardson’s epistolary and elaborate Clarissa follows the life of a chaste young woman desperate to protect her virtue. When beautiful Clarissa Harlowe is forced to marry the rich but repulsive Mr. Solmes, she refuses, much to her family’s chagrin. She escapes their persecution with the help of Mr. Lovelace, a dashing and seductive rake, but soon finds herself in a far worse dilemma. Terrifying and enlightening, Clarissa weaves a tapestry of narrative experimentation into a gripping morality tale of good versus evil.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping Novel & Performance
- By Harold on 07-29-18
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She Stoops to Conquer
- Mistakes of the Night
- By: Oliver Goldsmith
- Narrated by: Rosalind Ayres, Adam Godley, Julian Holloway, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 114
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
Starring James Marsters, this classic comedy of manners from 1773 is still widely performed and studied. Love, lies, and dysfunctional families. Sound like your last family gathering? Try this one on for laughs. Two randy young gents, Charles and George, set out to woo the alluring and upper-crust Kate and Constance. But inexperienced Charles is shy and clumsy around upper-class ladies, so it’s the barmaid who catches his eye. But is she really who she seems?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful performances and production. Fun story!
- By MillenniumMike on 10-31-12
By: Oliver Goldsmith
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The Warden: Timothy West Version
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Timothy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 894
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 757
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 748
The first novel of six in Trollope's series of the Chronicles of Barsetshire introducing the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and the characters of Septimus Harding, the Warden, and his son-in-law Archdeacon Grantly. The Warden concerns the moral dilemma of the conscientious Reverend Septimus Harding, who finds himself at the centre of a bitter conflict between defenders of Church privilege and the reformers of the mid-Victorian period.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Old Man & His Terrific and Single Daughter
- By Joseph R on 08-30-09
By: Anthony Trollope
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The Taming of the Shrew
- Arkangel Shakespeare
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Frances Barber, Roger Allam, Alan Cox
- Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 248
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 220
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 220
Padua holds many suitors for the hand of fair Bianca, but Bianca may not be married until her spinster sister, Kate, is wed. Could any man be rash enough to take on Kate? The witty adventurer Petruchio undertakes the task. While he sets about transforming Kate from foul-tempered termagant to loving wife, young Lucentio and his clever servant, Tranio, plot to win Bianca.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Problem play
- By Tad Davis on 01-24-15
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Vicar of Wakefield
- By: Oliver Goldsmith
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 73
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Story4 out of 5 stars 50
The simple village vicar, Mr. Primrose, is living with his wife and six children in complete tranquility until unexpected calamities force them to weather one hilarious adventure after another. Goldsmith plays out this classic comedy of manners with a light, ironic touch that is irresistibly charming.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Snidely Whiplash Ravishes Hapless Maidens
- By Joseph R on 12-26-09
By: Oliver Goldsmith
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The Red and the Black
- By: Stendhal
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 354
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 268
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Story4 out of 5 stars 264
So what would Al Gore choose if he had a book club? Gore named Stendhal's The Red and the Black, a 19th century classic chock full of adultery, betrayal, and moral vacuity, as his favorite book on a recent broadcast of Oprah. It's a bit shocking of a choice, given his wife and running mate's position on clean, wholesome literature. Listen and decide for yourself the merit of this presidential pick.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Almost perfect
- By Erez on 05-29-08
By: Stendhal
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Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World
- By: Leo Damrosch
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 20 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
Jonathan Swift is best remembered today as the author of Gulliver’s Travels, the satiric fantasy that quickly became a classic and has remained in print for nearly three centuries. Yet Swift also wrote many other influential works, was a major political and religious figure in his time, and became a national hero, beloved for his fierce protest against English exploitation of his native Ireland. What is really known today about the enigmatic man behind these accomplishments? Can the facts of his life be separated from the fictions?
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5 out of 5 stars
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JOHNATHAN SWIFT AND POWER OF THE PEN
- By chetyarbrough.blog on 09-30-14
By: Leo Damrosch
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Tales from Shakespeare
- By: Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 41
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb is a retelling of 20 of Shakespeare’s most beloved stories. Within the pages of this book, the 19th-century authors bring to life the Shakespearean plots and characters of another age in an easy-to-understand prose of a newer generation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A classic
- By Jacque Eddy on 10-07-19
By: Charles Lamb, and others
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Candide (AudioGO Edition)
- By: Voltaire
- Narrated by: Jack Davenport
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,670
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,482
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,481
When first published in 1759, Candide became an instant best seller and is now regarded as one of the key texts of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s preoccupations with evil and with various kinds of human folly and intolerance found a perfect vehicle in this philosophical tale. A master storyteller, he combined often wildly entertaining action with profoundly serious sense, parodying the traditional chivalric and oriental tales with which his public was more familiar.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Guaranteed to keep you smiling if not LOL
- By Robert on 08-09-12
By: Voltaire
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The Charterhouse of Parma
- By: Henri Beyle Stendhal
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 190
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 172
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Story4 out of 5 stars 168
In the coming-of-age story, we follow a young Italian nobleman, Fabrizio Valserra, Marchesino del Dongo, on many adventures, including his experiences at the Battle of Waterloo, and romantic intrigues.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Amazing novel finally available on audio!
- By Grant on 03-23-14
What listeners say about The Rivals
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julia Schmidt
- 11-05-17
Great story; terrible performance
This is an awesome play. The players killed it with horrendous fake British accents. I had to turn it off. I couldn't even understand what they were saying.
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