Whatever the play's shortcomings, it is nonetheless worth seeing, particularly for young people, as a reliable historical documentary of unrelieved poverty at that time and of the terrible trap in which women, particularly, were caught. But as a piece of theatre, Men Should Weep is not worthy of the talents of the National Theatre. 

 
Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in "The Rivals"

Sheridan's The Rivals at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, was a great relief after this. It is very long, with plenty of longueurs, and its characters are pure stereotypes but in large parts it is a delight. The play is so very accomplished and the language and wit so extremely sophisticated, that it is hard to believe that Sheridan was only 23 when it was first staged in London in 1775. It is a very elegant satire on contemporary manners and affectations, and introduces the immortal Mrs Malaprop. One of her best absurdities is to forgive some errant young lovers by saying, "We will not anticipate the past! Our retrospection will be all to the future." This is second only to the comment that the hero is "a very pineapple of politeness".

The plot is a nonsense of tricks and hidden identities, in which a rich and beautiful young woman is adored by a rich and handsome young man, and in the end marries him. But since that would be much too dull for a capricious heroine like Lydia Languish, whose mind has been quite turned by the habit of reading books, particularly romantic novels from Bath lending libraries, the hero Jack Absolute complicates things for her by assuming a false identity. This leads to various delicious moments of farce, with extravagant characters like Jack's tyrannical father Sir Anthony Absolute, and Sir Lucius O' Trigger, the amorous Irish buffoon. 

There are two unmissable performances in this production: Peter Bowles as Sir Anthony Absolute and Penelope Keith as Mrs Malaprop, inspired foils for each other, who appear together a great deal in their conspiracy to force the young people to get married, whether they like it or not, little realising that they would like it very much. Both bring to their roles all the essential gifts  of great comic actors — perfect timing, exquisite diction, and yet a way of speaking Sheridan's convoluted lines entirely naturally. They also have total control over the moment and the audience. These are gifts which are impossible to analyse and impossible to miss. They also bring a degree of real feeling and unexpected depths to entirely stock characters: Bowles and Keith steal the show with an immensely pleasurable masterclass in virtuoso comic acting.