Easton and Ivey to Headline LCT's The Rivals

Richard Easton and Dana Ivey, who appeared together last season in the Lincoln Center Theater production of Henry IV, will reunite for LCT's upcoming mounting of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals. The production, directed by Mark Lamos, is scheduled to begin previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on November 26 in preparation for a December 16 opening, a production spokesperson confirmed to Broadway.com.

Easton won a 2001 Tony Award for his portrayal of the older A.E. Houseman in LCT's The Invention of Love. His other Broadway credits include Noises Off, Exit the King, The Misanthrope, The Cherry Orchard, Hamlet, Back to Methuselah, Country Wife, School for Scandal and Henry IV.

Ivey is a three-time Tony Award nominee, having earned nods for her performances in Heartbreak House, Sunday in the Park with George and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Ivey's long list of Broadway credits also includes Present Laughter, Indiscretions, Sex and Longing, Waiting in the Wings, Major Barbara, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and Henry IV.

The Rivals, written in 1774, centers on Captain Absolute who disguises himself as a poor naval officer in order to woo the idealistic Lydia Languish, to whom wealth means nothing. Standing between the two lovers is a host of quirky characters, including the captain's harsh father Sir Anthony Absolute, Lydia's sassy aunt Mrs. Malaprop and the captain's friend turned rival Bob Acres.