The Liar (2024)
by David Ives, adapted from the comedy by Pierre Corneille
Performances: Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 May 2024, Old Fire Station
This SLT production is the UK premiere.
Contents
Preview from the SLT website
What inspired you to direct this play?
Happenstance - I found the script about 10 years ago browsing one lunchtime in the old Samuel French bookshop, which was always a great place to run across plays and writers you had never heard of before. After skim reading the first couple of pages I was hooked - David Ives has both translated and adapted Pierre Corneille’s 1643 romantic comedy for a contemporary audience. The traditional comic characters and tropes remain - the master who cannot tell the truth; the servant who cannot tell a lie; mistaken identities and misunderstandings; a swashbuckling duel; lovers’ notes and twins - but some of the 17th century references and padding are removed, giving a honed and polished comic gem for today.
And like the original it’s in verse, full of outrageous rhymes, astonishing puns and tongue twisting wordplay.
I was enchanted, and laughed myself stupid. I knew that evening that I wanted to direct it. However, while it has been widely performed in the United States in professional and student productions, the rights have never been available in the UK before. It’s been a long wait, but I’m delighted to be able to present the UK premiere production.
Can you tell us about some of the characters we'll meet?
Dorante is a charming young man newly arrived in Paris, who has just one flaw - he cannot tell the truth. In quick succession he meets Cliton, a manservant who cannot tell a lie, and falls in love with Clarice, a charming young woman whom he unfortunately mistakes for her friend Lucrece. What our hero does not know is that Clarice is secretly engaged to his best friend, Alcippe. Nor is he aware that his father Geronte is trying to get him married to Clarice, whom he thinks is Lucrece (who actually is in love with him).
Got all that? Throw in the quietly adoring Philiste and the ladies' maids Isabelle and Sabine and you have a recipe for an exquisite, tightly plotted farce.
Don’t worry, it’ll all be clear when you see it!
How has the rehearsal process been?
An absolute joy. The cast are almost all new or very recent recruits to SLT, and have worked so hard together at getting the utmost comedy from the page onto the stage - if you’ve been around the building, you’ll have heard a great deal of laughter coming from the rehearsal room!
What do you hope the audience will take away from the performances?
A grin from ear to ear
Can you sum up the play in three words?
Baldachin, flotilla, pomegranates.
Cast
- Cliton - Shree Ziradkar
- Dorante - Michiel Dewagtere
- Lucrece - Faye Sirohi
- Clarice - Myrtó Katsoulidou
- Isabelle - Victoria Alexandra Odlum
- Philiste - Ben Oakes
- Alcippe- Jean-Pierre Agius
- Geronte - Randy Brown
- Sabine - Victoria Alexandra Odlum
Crew
- Assistant Director - Jo Boniface
- Stage Manager - Graham Clements
- Scenic art - Han Evans
- Lighting Designer - Jo Boniface
- Operators - Tom Mathias, Steve Pleasants, Jo Boniface
- Costume - Ruby Todd and Hannah Leigh
- Fight direction - Stephen Hayward
- Construction and get in - Chris Purcell, Graham Clements, Dennis Fenton, Han Evans, Jo Boniface, Mark Ireson and the cast
- Rigging - Sean Thomas
- Poster photography - James Jackson
- Poster model - Tom "Fingers" Mathias
- Production photography - Jon Schick
Reviews
Guess who got to see a dress run of The Liar yesterday?
Guess who has now booked to watch it again on Friday because it was so much FUN?
It’s so good! You are in for a treat!
Jenny McLaughlin
Liars!
A massive well done for your Friday night show,
Everyone book now, before the tickets go!
(Verse is tricky to invent on the spot,
Trying to figure this out has my brain in a knot!)
Well, that's enough of that. Absolutely brilliant work, break legs for the last one tonight!!
Sarah Pearcey
So many laugh out loud moments, one after the other. The comedy is not in any jokes, but the silly situations. Didn't think this would be my thing, how wrong I was. Brilliantly performed by all the cast with wonderful comic timing. Tonight's the last night, so try and get any remaining tickets or miss a wonderful show.
Lydie Koritsas
Well done to all in the good ship Liar. Such fun. I didn't just giggle I guffawed!!!
Lily Ann Green
LilyAnn Green, me too! In fact Adam and I had some giggles which had mysteriously bypassed the rest of the audience
Caroline Doyle
A thoroughly entertaining evening, sparkling and fizzing like premier cru champagne
Comic servants, mistaken identities, long-lost family members - familiar tropes transformed by David Ives's clever adaptation
If you're thinking a 17th century French farce in rhyming couplets might not be your tasse du the, this show will convince you otherwise
Helen Jones
This was wonderful last night. I’m still giggling at the silliness. Don’t miss out!
Gareth Milton
Congratulations to The Liars. Fabulous set, costumes and great fun show. Really enjoyed it, pomegranates and all
Jess Osorio
It was great! Really enjoyed, mad as a box of French frogs
Christine Theophilus
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.
Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
