A small group of stalwarts in a corner of Trinity College gardens braved rain, cold and some equally committed midges to support the Oxford Theatre Guild on the opening night of Sheridan's The Rivals on Tuesday. And, despite the conditions, it was a great show, with accomplished and witty performances by the lead characters, and Alistair Nunn outstanding as the hero Jack Absolute.

This is, of course, the play that introduced the world to malapropisms, and Barbara Denton is stunning in the role of the linguistically challenged Mrs Malaprop, besides sporting a coiffure that Marge Simpson would be proud of. Indeed, hair features quite prominently in this production. Right at the beginning the conversation between Sir Anthony's coachman and Jack's manservant reflects on the horrors of gentlemen wearing their own hair, and the subsequent choice of wigs ranges from the elegant (Sir Anthony) to the perfectly outlandish (Bob Acres).

Set in 18th-century Bath, where there's not much to do apart from seeing and being seen ("not a fiddle or a card after 11pm," observes one of the servants sadly), The Rivals presents the fortunes of a couple of pairs of lovers whose progress to the altar is never in serious doubt. Holly Jones - pictured with Alistair Nunn - is delightful in the role of Jack's beloved, Lydia Languish, whose worldview is shaped by reading too many novels from the circulating library, and Grace Mountain is a comely Julia Melville, the much put-upon girlfriend of Faulkland (Alex Rogers), a tense and insecure character who comes complete with stress balls (outsize worry beads, in case you're wondering).

The male characters dominate the play - and very striking they are too. I particularly enjoyed Bill Moulford as Bob Acres and Tim Bearder as Thomas the coachman. Between them they have a repertoire of facial grimaces that is thoroughly entertaining and the odd touches of sheer blokishness do much to enliven a well-worn classic.

One innovation that must be welcomed is the Guild's decision, in response to popular request, to provide a detailed synopsis of the play for visitors whose first language is not English.

The rain policy is simple: if the play is abandoned before the interval you get a full refund. On Tuesday, the intermittent drizzle turned to a downpour at the end of Act II, so we had an early interval!

The Rivals continues until July 28. Box office: telephone 01865 305305 (www.ticketsoxford.com).