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"The Rivals were followed by a lively farce St. Patrick‘s Day and in November 1775 he produced the comic opera The Duenna, which was played 75 times during that season. In February 1777 he produced A Trip to Scarborough, which is an adaptation of The Relapse by Vanbrugh.
In 1776 Sheridan joined his father-in-law to purchase the Drury Lane Theatre for £35,000. Though he had periods of prosperity and had a powerful influence on the stage history of his time, his theatrical activities frequently involved him in financial difficulties.
On the 8th May 1777, Sheridan directed his masterpiece, A School for Scandal. In this play Sheridan carried the comedy of manners to the highest point. Sheridan‘s farce, The Critic, was produced on the 29th October 1779 and during the remaining thirty-six years of his life he created only one patriotic melodrama Pizzaro, which was produced in 1799."