FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2015
Contact: Dennis Beasley
[email protected]
831-759-6012 The Liar: a classic French farce about deception and distortion
with a fresh, contemporary spirit
Sept. 18-Oct. 4, 2015
SALINAS, Calif. – It is a classic French Restoration comedy that first premiered in Paris in 1644. It is written
by an obscure playwright named Pierre Corneille. Best of all, the whole play is in verse—specifically, iambic
pentameter, à la Shakespeare.
However, theatre-goers will not find a tired, dull production of Corneille’s The Liar at Western Stage. This new
adaptation by playwright David Ives, one of the leading humorists in contemporary American theatre, makes
this comedy of deception, distortion and disinformation spring to life on stage with a fresh, contemporary feel.
At the center of the farce is Dorante, a charming young man who wins admirers everywhere he goes—as long
as he doesn’t have to tell them the truth. Making his way through Parisian society, this handsome liar devises
stories and woos women with mixed results—accompanied by his valet, Cliton, who can only tell the truth.
David Ives’ The Liar opens September 18, 2015, in The Western Stage’s intimate Studio Theater at Hartnell
College, 411 Central Ave. in Salinas. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2
p.m., through October 4th. Details are at westernstage.com.
Ives began adapting the classic farce a few years back, commissioned by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in
Washington, D.C., he immediately saw that Corneille’s script had the comedic potential of Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream or Twelfth Night, so he set about doing what he calls a “transladaptation.” In the
process, he took a more liberal hand in reworking the 500-year-old play.
At the center of the farce, we still have Dorante. And he is still a liar—worse, a liar with a bad memory. He still
spins all kinds of extravagant tales about his time in the war with Germany. And he still falls in love with the
beautiful Clarice, and still confuses her name with that of her friend Lucrece. So when his father tries to arrange
Dorante’s marriage to Clarice (whom Dorante mistakenly thinks is Lucrece), he of course concocts yet another
outrageous lie to avoid the marriage. This string of lies launches the ensemble of characters into a fast-paced
comedy full of mischief, misunderstanding, and mistaken identity.
So what is different about Ives’ version? The sensibility of a contemporary eye. Not only did Ives freshen up the
language of the play and trim down some of the lengthy monologues, but he also made some significant
structural changes as well. As he indicated in an NPR interview, Corneille has been dead for over four
centuries, so Ives felt more than free to cut and merge characters, add subplots, and revise the ending to make
the denouement more real and fleshed-out for contemporary audiences.
A peer of Molière and Racine, Pierre Corneille enjoyed a 40-year career as a playwright in France during the
1600s. With more than 30 plays to his credit including the tragedy The Cid as well as the meta-theatrical
comedy The Illusion, which was centuries ahead of its time in theme and tone, Corneille was one of the most
prolific and celebrated playwrights of his day.
The same could be said about David Ives. After the success of his 1993 collection of one-acts All in the
Timing—which was one of the most produced plays in America during the 1993-94 season—he has enjoyed a
string of successes on Broadway in recent years. He has gained particular praise plays such as Venus in Fur and
Is He Dead, the latter based on an unpublished comedy by Mark Twain. He is currently collaborating on a new
musical with Stephen Sondheim.
At The Western Stage, The Liar is directed by Dennis Beasley, with design support from David Parker (scenic),
Theodore M. Dolas (lighting), Suzanne Mann (costumes), and Taylor Wilson (sound).
The Western Stage's 2015 season continues with Matthew Spangler's Tortilla Curtain, an adaptation of the T.C.
Boyle novel; and the Mel Brooks musical The Producers. For more information, go to westernstage.com.
DETAILS
WHAT: A lively new version of the classic farce The Liar by Pierre Corneille, adapted by David Ives.
WHEN: Sept. 18-Oct. 4, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
WHERE: The Studio Theater at The Western Stage, Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas.
TICKETS AND INFO: Admission is $26 general admission, $24 for seniors, and $12 for children. For tickets
and more details, go to westernstage.com or call 831-755-6816.
PRESS: For press tickets, contact Dennis Beasley at [email protected] or 831-759-6012. Download highres publicity photos at http://bit.ly/twsliar.
About Hartnell College
The Hartnell CCD serves over 16,000 students annually through its main campus in Salinas, the Alisal Campus
in East Salinas, the King City Education Center, and various outreach learning centers throughout the Salinas
Valley. Hartnell College, a Hispanic Serving Institution, provides workforce training and basic skills courses,
and prepares students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Hartnell College is recognized for its
innovative public and private partnerships that support world-class STEM education, career technical education,
fine and performing arts, humanities, and athletics. We are growing leaders through opportunity, engagement
and achievement. For more about Hartnell CCD, visit www.hartnell.edu.
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