The Liar

by David Ives (Adaptation), Pierre Corneille (Original)

"All the world's a lie, and all the men and women merely liars."

Dorante is charming, handsome¼ and a pathological liar! When he arrives in Paris, Dorante's outlandish tales amaze and convince all who hear them, but for each problem his clever lying solves, it creates two new ones. Will he manage to keep his stories straight, his dupes none the wiser and somehow still get the girl? This joyful French farce bursts onto the stage in Broadway playwright David Ives' sparkling new adaptation.

"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as refracted in a theatrical fun-house mirror. Welcome to The Liar." —- David Ives

The book features:
Fresh, new adaptation of Corneille's The Liar by Broadway playwright, David Ives

A short history of the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the ReDiscovery Series by Artistic Director Michael Kahn
• Fascinating essay, The Whole Truth About The Liar, by David Ives titled
• Short biography of Pierre Corneille
• Corneille in a Minute: a 30-entry chronology placing Corneille in context to the world around him
• Original production information including cast list
• Commissioned and first performed by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Lansburgh Theatre in Washington D.C., opening April 12, 2010 under the direction of Michael Kahn.

Productions in Print Series was developed with the knowledge that every theatre production demands a quality printed product to complement the run at the theatre and give life to the production long after the curtain has come down.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

109 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

A contemporary American playwright whose plays often consist of one act and are generally comedies. They are notable for their verbal dexterity, theatrical invention, and quirky humor.

He earned his MFA in Playwriting from The Yale School of Drama. A Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting, David is probably best known for his evening of one-act comedies called "All In the Timing". The show won the Outer Critics Circle Playwriting Award, ran for two years Off-Broadway, and in the 1995-96 season was the most-performed play in the country after Shakespeare productions.

Reviews

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most amusing plays I've read. It makes fun of Shakespeare's stupid mix-up marriages that I so despise and instead is honest about how little such people know each other. Toss in modern verbiage and references, and make it all RHYMING, and this play is a funny smash hit! It only took me so long to read because I was squeezing it in while at work (at a theatre, no less).

[Rachelle Urist · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Ives is to theatre what Robin Williams is to comedy. Quick, yeasty, with a mastery of language and comic timing that is unparalleled on today's stages. I first came to know this author through his VENUS IN FUR. I only recently learned that he's made a career of adapting French farces (Corneille, Moliere, Feydeau) to stage by taking their plots and infusing them with contemporary references and wonderful anachronisms. All in iambic pentameter. The poetry, like the comedy, is transporting. Some is utterly unpredictable and brilliant in its combination of the sublime and the vulgar - in words and images. This play, which uses comic traditions of mistaken identity and harmless duplicity, concludes to everyone's satisfaction (it's a comedy, after all). The pace is lightening fast. Though it was a hoot to read, it would be even more hilarious staged. It's currently in the Chicago area, but it's pretty well sold out. (Which is why I read it.) I'll read more David Ives in future.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

sometimes its fun to just read a play and reset your palate, you know?
Ives is a great choice for that too - he's hilarious and on point, as always. A fun read - would love to see the actual play....

(barely more) full review at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-gk

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

saw the play and loved it, now reading the text

[Nick Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and silly. Nearly as good as his adaptation of 'The Misanthrope'.

[Rebecca Lartigue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun--I'm looking forward to my campus's production of this, this fall.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of had to slog through the Corneille and did not have the fluency to find it funny more than intermittently, but Ives' version/translation really crackles -- hope to see it on stage soon.