MALAPROPISMS often crop up in dialogue across the scriptwriting fraternity.

Even Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street has been known to utter the odd misapplied meaning.

The source of this quirky misuse of words stems back to a clever, Dublin-born 18th century dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and the ridiculously charming character Mrs Malaprop, a central figure of his play The Rivals, who rose to be one of the most famous females of English comic theatre.

In a brief but brilliant career, Sheridan also penned The School for Scandal (1777) before turning his attention to a life in politics which appeared to bring his creative engine to a grinding halt.

The Rivals is getting the Brewery Players treatment from Wednesday, January 31 to Saturday, February 3 (7.30pm) at the Kendal arts centre, with Rosie Waites in the enviable role of Mrs Malaprop.

"I really wanted this part," she tells me, taking time out during rehearsals.

"I like the whole style of the period, and the many dimensions of the characters."

One of Mrs Malaprop's well-loved musings refers to her niece Lydia: "She's as headstrong as an allegory alligator on the bank of the Nile."

Rosie treats me to another from the script: "He is the very pineapple pinnacle of politeness."

At the helm of the production is Lancaster-based actor and artistic director Stephen Tomlin.

Winner of the Mastermind series in 1991, and appearing in ITV's At Home with the Braithwaites this week, Stephen was a member of much-vaunted, Brewery centred, Pocket Theatre Cumbria, in the professional company's golden days of the early 1980s before its unfortunate demise through lack of funding.

He rates Pocket's world premiere of Steven Jeffries adaptation of Dickens' Hard Times as a career highlight.

Stephen said the forthcoming Rivals was shaping up quite nicely: "They are lovely people to work with.

And it's great to be back at the Brewery."

Stephen believes that Sheridan's genius was in developing the English comedy of manners through using all the wit but none of the licentiousness of the Restoration comedy from which it derives.

"He satirised the sentimental but applauded sentiment, giving newly emerging middle class audiences a model of dramatic sensibility."

Elaine Borowski played the frustrated and feisty daughter Maureen, in Martin McDonagh's Beauty Queen of Leenane last year.

In The Rivals she's Lydia Languish, the ultimate romantic: "She thinks love transcends money and material wealth.

She wants to marry someone poor, regardless of who her aunt chooses."

Lydia has designs on the duel personna of Captain Jack Absolute, played by Mark Skinner.

His uncle is Sir Anthony Absolute, in the guise of David Williams.

I asked the accomplished board treader if the character differs from his successful roles in The Wife of Kendal, especially the fascist Oswald Mosley? "No, Absolute is just as bombastic.

He is a man who is used to getting his own way all the time."

Watching Maurice McCarthy as Sir Lucius O'Trigger run through his lines with his usual aplomp, his prophetic words about the weather which opened The Wife of Kendal streamed back: "It rains all the time.

It rains so much I sometimes wonder if God is sending another flood," waxed Maurice's Monk.

In my opinion Maurice is in the same thespian mould as David Williams.

Both are fine actors with day jobs.

And if they invest their considerable wealth of acting ability into a production you can be pretty sure it's going to be good.

A bright young rising star is Kerry Bracken, from Windermere.

In The Rivals, Kerry throws herself impressively into the part of Lucy, West Country accent and all.

As maid to Mrs Malaprop and Lydia she laps up the banter with Sir Lucius and Absolute's servant Fag, played by another talent, Ross Alexander.

The Rivals is packed with mistaken identities, farce and subterfuge.

And with music and movement of the period performed by musical director Andrew Leavett (harpsichord), Elizabeth Dodd (dance and strings) and Philip Gruar (wind), it promises an entertaining night out.

Box office 01539-725133.