By Mark Shenton at Playbill.com

Charity Wakefield, Celia Imrie, Ella Smith  and Harry Hadden-Paton are among the cast of a new production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1776 comedy, The Rivals, that will begin performances at London’s Southwark Playhouse Jan. 12, 2010, prior to an official opening Jan. 15, for a run through Jan. 30.

Acording to press materials, the play will be brought “bang up to date” in the production that also features live musicians and dance. Presented by Red Handed Theatre Company in association with Primavera, it is directed by Red Handed’s artistic director Jessica Swale (also Associate Director at Out of Joint), and also features Cian Barry, Oliver Hollis, Frank Laverty, Christopher Logan, Jenni Maitland, Tom McDonald, Robin Soans and Sam Swainsbury. Set and costume design is by recent Linbury Prize finalist Cara Newman, lighting design is by Tim Bray, with an original score by Laura Forrest-Hay.

The play follows the meddling Mrs Malaprop (Imrie) on her quest to marry off her spirited niece Lydia Languish (Wakefield). But Lydia has ideas of her own about the poetic but penniless Beverley, unaware that he and the handsome Captain Jack Absolute are one and the same person (Hadden-Paton). Meanwhile, her cousin Julia (Smith) is betrothed to the jealousy-prone Faulkland (McDonald), and the stage is set for a tale of romantic entanglement and disguise.

Imrie was recently seen on the London stage in Mixed Up North at Wilton’s Music Hall and Nicholas de Jongh’s Plague Over England at the West End’s Duchess Theatre. She is best known for her TV and stage collaborations with Victoria Wood, including “Dinnerladies” and “Victoria Wood – As Seen on TV” on television, and the stage version of Acorn Antiques – the Musical, based on the scenes from the latter, in which she created the role of Babs, owner of the eponymous store, and won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role playing She has also appeared in the films “Calendar Girls” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary.”