Tuesday, April 24, 2012

An 8? Seriously?

There was only one flaw in Henley Street’s “The Liar” that I scampered downtown to see in the midst of Sunday’s drippy afternoon. And that was when David Clark’s Cliton, as part of his not being able to tell a lie, classified the more overtly sensual of the maidservant twins, Isabelle, as an 8. Mr. Ricks made a major casting mistake in selecting Stacie Reardon Hall for this part. Even when trying to button up her loveliness in the guise of the more persnickety Sabine, Mrs. Hall easily surpasses an 8 on any objective scale.

Except for that one misstep, ‘The Liar’ was everything the rave reviews of the production had promised, and more. A show recited almost entirely in rhyming couplets was never tiresome and used the very artifice of that construct to great comic ends. Given the penchant for mistaken identity plotlines to stretch the bounds of common sense, this one was actually relatively believable (in the scope of such things), hinging as it did on one simple assumption and goosed into madness by the title character’s well-established compulsion to never settle for a simple fib when an outrageous lie was possible.

The performances were uniformly excellent. I pretty much expected great things from the leads: I became a devoted Matthew Mitchell fan with “Kimberly Akimbo,” I thought David Clark was phenomenal in last season’s “Judas Iscariot,” and I was introduced to rising star Irene Kuykendall with Sycamore Rouge’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” But what a treat when later in the play an otherwise low-key Tyler Weaver steps a bit more forward as Philliste and matches the skills of the topliners. The show was also my introduction to Olivia Luna who played Lucrece with attractive wit and grace early and with mounting outrage later on.

The wordplay and quippiness of the script were consistently delightful, enhanced by performers like Mitchell who used body language – some subtle, lots not so subtle – to punch up the jokes. The humor ran the gamut from salacious double entendres to insidery theater jokes to scatological barbs to crazy circular ramblings to groan-worthy stretching of rhymes (“my-valve”?) to some gags that almost bordered on sophistication.

Henley Street did a great service to the script with its staging at CenterStage. Margarette Joyner’s costumes were sumptuous, Seamus Bourne’s set was appropriately stately, and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights were nicely done, particularly as they subtly shifted in intensity during certain key scenes. Mr. Ricks’ attention to detail is impressive; as John Porter also mentioned, I loved hearing songs like Bowie’s “Changes” interpreted by string quartet during intermission.

Given all of that, the one moment that stretched my suspension of disbelief was easily forgotten. There are only 2 more chances to see this great production so I’d strongly suggest making room for it in the coming weekend. In fact, a double-header of “Always...Patsy Cline” and “The Liar” would be a great way to celebrate the closing weekend for both productions.

13 comments:

Dana P. said...

By any chance would you mean Mr. Ricks' attention to detail instead of Mr. Hicks'?

Anonymous said...

I think you mean, Mr. 'Ricks'...

Dave T said...

Thanks for pointing out the mispelling, y'all. James's name has been corrected in the post.

Andrew Hamm said...

100% agreed. This is the best show I've seen in town since "Judas Iscariot."

Anonymous said...

I had issues with "The Liar." I think the attention to detail was inconsistent. I thought the production was ostensibly "safe," meaning the sexual innuendos were too subtle and not well articulated, and story line was not acted in a legible manner. Also the costumed looked inexpensive to me, and the lighting was far too bland. Yes there were humorous bits, but contrary to my theater colleagues I would most definitely not have given this a rave.

Matthew Miller
GayRVA Lead Theater Critic

Jacquie O. said...

Dave, thanks for the shout out. It was a huge undertaking for us and we are so delighted that people are enjoying it. I also just want to point out to Michael Hawke fan club (which I am now president of)- that you must see him in this role! This is Michael's first leap into the world of verse and I think he has a new calling. Oh - did I mention that he looks stunning in his 17th century Veronica Lake wig?

Anonymous said...

Don't know that Matthew Miller guy, but I definately am a fan of Matthew Mitchell's. lol

Anonymous said...

Its Matthew MITCHELL ;)

Dave T said...

Sorry for the Mitchell / Miller mistake. Clearly, I need to hire a proof-reader.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Miller. What a shock - you hated a Henley Street Theatre production. Well, at least you are consistant.

Anonymous said...

Who peed in Matthew Miller's cornflakes? What does inexpensive have to do with appropriateness of the clothing? How could the innuendos have been more blatant without being completely perverse?

Everyone has really seemed to enjoy The Liar. I am just confused by his comments and completely disagree.

Andrew... best since Judas? I dont know about that, but it certainly gives the show a shot at a top honor at the RTCCs.

Anonymous said...

Agree with Matthew Miller. And more. The script was really terrific, while the production didn't carry it.

Anonymous said...

Ha. Miller... Your reviews read like stereo instructions written by Quentin Crisp. Get a job at Starbucks with all the all other disgruntled losers with BA's.