Imagine the TV show Seinfeld set in the 1700s with elaborate costumes. Penn State students will get the chance to see this combination of romance and comedy at the School of Theatre's latest production, The Rivals.

The play is about a captain, Jack Absolute, who pretends to be somebody he's not so he can gain the affections of a woman, Lydia Languish.

Lydia wants to marry a poor man because she feels it's romantic, which goes against what her aunt wishes for her to do with her life.

"It's a play that makes fun of high society," Richard Price (graduate-theatre arts) said. "There's a lot of hypocrisy. Characters proclaim they don't do something when they actually are."

Theatre professor Jane Ridley said the characters in the play are two sets of young lovers, some comic servants, two parental figures and some unrequited lovers.

"The mix-ups that ensue when the older generation butts heads with the younger characters results in some hilarity," Ridley said.

Price said the plot of the play, as well as the nature of the characters, reminds him of the TV show Seinfeld.

"It's a situational comedy from the late 1700s," he said. "There's all these archetypal characters that people will recognize. What's funny about it is people know who the characters are. It's kind of timeless in that regard."

Ridley said the play is still relevant today even though it was written long ago.

"The eternal conflict between the way one's parents or guardians feel one should live one's life and one's personal choice is both true and funny," Ridley said. "Those things that make us human are timeless."

Erin Roberts (graduate-theatre arts), who plays Lydia, said she is also able to make a connection from the play to modern times.

"Present day, I think you could get the sense that once true love is found, it shouldn't be trifled with no matter what the circumstances," she said.

Her character is a wealthy young lady who loves to read romance novels and lives in the world of those stories, she said.

"She has created her own forbidden love story with a handsome sailor, Beverly, and plots to elope with him against her family's wishes and live and love with him in poverty," Roberts said.

The names of the characters offer insight to what they're like.

"A lot of the names reflect the character's personality," Price said. "I'm a fiery Irishman [Sir Lucius O'Trigger]. He likes to duel and fight. Bob Acres is very country."

Ridley's character, Mrs. Malaprop, is named that way because she always uses the wrong word, which coined the term malapropism.

"She is constantly using the wrong word," Ridley said. "She is a woman who believes strongly in decorum and is passionate about the correct use of language."

Price said his favorite aspect of the play is the costumes.

"The costume designer created these amazing pieces that communicate who the characters are," he said. "Speaking as an actor, when you've got a good costume, it makes acting so much easier. They're absolutely stunning."

Roberts also said she likes the play's costumes.

"I think people will love the huge and [colorful] costumes, all made in our PSU costume shop," she said.

Ridley said a professional company made up primarily of third-year graduate students -- designers and actors -- works side by side with professional actors or designers.

This show is the last show of such caliber this school year, she said.

The director of The Rivals is from the professional company. J.R. Sullivan, a guest from New York who is the artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, is directing the show.

"[Sullivan] knows what he's doing and he knows what he wants," Price said. "The last thing you want is a director who isn't specific."

Roberts said entertainment, such as The Rivals show, is important because the world is a tough place to be right now and anything that can allow people to take a break from their lives, sit back, relax and enjoy themselves is fantastic.

"It's a silly, feel-good play with a good message and happy ending," she said.