The School for Scandal

The School for Scandal ( dt; School for Scandal ) is an English comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. On May 8, 1777, the piece in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane was premiered.

Sheridan, who took over the theater in Drury Lane by David Garrick in 1776, the play was written in a hurry and under enormous pressure, in spite of all this, it became the most successful comedy of manners of the 18th century and is still one of the most performed English comedies remained.

He combined two planned, already present in different parts of comedy so deftly that the various plot strands are seamlessly connected to each other in the completed work.

The special thing about this piece is that Sheridan picks up the torn in the 18th century tradition of corporate and comedy of manners of the Restoration period back in the dialog.

Action

The title refers to a group whose members the reputation of innocent people undermine their pleasure by refined fabrications and have perfected the gossip to a high art. At the head of this group is Lady Sneerwell whose unrequited love for the young, immoral, wasteful, but good-hearted Charles Surface. Therefore, they spread false rumors about an affair between Charles and Lady Teazle to destroy its relationship to Mary, the young heroine of the piece.

They also to support the efforts of his unscrupulous, greedy brother Joseph for the hand of Mary. Joseph courted simultaneously Lady Teazle, the young and skillful pretty woman of the old, headstrong, but also sympathetic and loving Sir Peter, whose jealousy he directs sent to Charles.

The true facts learns Sir Peter Teazle in the "screen scene" know, in the Lady Teazle hides in Joseph's apartment behind a screen in front of her husband and Charles. Nevertheless, it is discovered there by them. In this scene it becomes clear that she flirts only pro forma with Joseph, because it has become fashionable in their circles to have an affair. The plot is complicated and perceptive and depends on the return of Sir Oliver Surfaces from Bengal.

This is the rich uncle of the brothers Charles and Joseph, the two have not seen for sixteen years. Sir Oliver Surface both visited incognito, to verify the true nature of his nephew, before he decides who should take over his assets from them. Finally it comes to unmasking of Joseph Surface, which has failed miserably.

Charles is the sample, its debts are settled by Sir Oliver and the final shows his nephew Charles and Mary combined, and the so long tried to reconcile the Teazles.

Setting

Rudolf Stephan Hoffmann (1878-1939) wrote the translated version into the form of an opera libretto, which was musically by Paul of Klenau. The comic opera in 3 acts was first performed in 1926 under the conductor Clemens Krauss in Frankfurt am Main.