Celebrity gossip, scandal and sex – what more do you want from a drama?

“When an old bachelor takes a young wife what is he to expect?’ To be sneered at? Paragraphed in the newspapers?”

Following the success of their inaugural production, The Ghost Train, Upstart Theatre Company is back with RB Sheridan’s The School for Scandal, which runs from Tuesday, February 4 to Saturday, February 8 at Upstage Theatre.

In early 1960s Soho, scandal and gossip fuel the lives of The Barton Club’s members and hangers on.

Reformed bachelor, Sir Peter and his new wife, Lady Teazle, incorrigible rake, Charles Surface, and bookish beatnik, Maria, are all preyed upon by master manipulator, Lady Sneerwell and the minions she commands.

But what happens when Sir Oliver, rich uncle and benefactor to Charles and his brother Joseph, returns from the East Indies to bestow his inheritance?

Will he choose Charles, whose extravagance has left him renting rooms above the bar or Joseph, a “man of sentiments”, universally well-spoken of, Sir Peter’s favourite and suitor to Maria?

Money, sex and scandal fund life at the club. Will newly married Lady Teazle take Joseph for her society lover?

What underhanded schemes will Charles and Joseph Surface employ to ensure their own futures? And what secrets does the widow, Lady Sneerwell, hide from the web of scandalous society, of which she is the centre?

“Celebrity gossip and scandal are themes as pertinent today as they were in Sheridan’s day,” said director Clancy McMullan.

“Add to the mix the heady days of the 1960s and you have the perfect backdrop for The School for Scandal.

“Most of the company founder members are involved in this production. We are also delighted to have a number of additional actors and crew members from the community and beyond joining our ranks for this production – all helping to bring Sheridan’s play to life.”

• School For Scandal is at the Upstage Theatre, 41 Monkgate from Tuesday, February 4 to Saturday, February 8 at 7.30pm (matinee – 2.30pm on Saturday)
• Tickets, priced £11, are available from the Upstart Theatre website