'The Critic: or, a Tragedy Rehearsed' is a political and literary satire, following in the vein of George Villiers' 'The Rehearsal' (1671), which takes jovial aim at the vanities of authors and politicians and at the foibles of the theatre itself. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (which Sheridan owned and managed) in 1779. The play is Sheridan's response to the threat of a Franco-Spanish invasion in the summer of 1779.