The Liar at FSU Rep

Last night we saw "The Liar" at the FSU Conservatory in the Asolo complex. I thought it fun and entertaining, Phil found it trite, predictable and a waste of his time.  I will give him this- the student performers were somewhat less than smooth in the iambic pentameter verse of the dialogue but it was funny and they were clearly having a good time which was infectious for most of the audience - many laughs and much applause for a company undertaking such a challenging project.  

From reviews of prior productions- "THE LIAR and its mischievous adapter, David Ives, want you to savor every meticulously groomed conceit, every stylishly turned-out couplet, every assiduously manicured joke…Ives is an inveterate jester, a trait that serves him well on an evening that is all jest." —Washington Post. "For Ives, one of America's better dramatic humorists, translating the fun of Pierre Corneille's 1643 French comedy was an act of respectful reinvention…The result is a scrubbed, vivacious script salted with hints of cheeky self-awareness." —DCTheatreScene.com. 

THE STORY: Paris, 1643. Dorante is a charming young man newly arrived in the capital, and he has but a single 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 regrettably does not know is that Clarice is secretly engaged to his best friend Alcippe. Nor is he aware that his father is trying to get him married to Clarice, whom he thinks is Lucrece, who actually is in love with him. From all these misunderstandings and a series of breathtakingly intricate lies springs one of the Western world's greatest comedies, a sparkling urban romance as fresh as the day Pierre Corneille wrote it, brilliantly adapted for today by David Ives. (above from the website Dramatists Play Service)

The Liar (French: Le Menteur) is a farcical play by Pierre Corneille that was first performed in 1644.  Dorante, the eponymous quasi-villain of the play, meets two women in the Tuileries in Paris, whose names are Clarice and Lucrece. He impresses them with his claim to have returned recently from the wars in Germany and boasts of the vital role he played. After they leave, he decides to court Clarice, mistakenly thinking her name to be that of her friend, Lucrece.  Géronte, Dorante's father, announces to his son that he has found a girl for him to marry (Clarice). Dorante, wrongly believing that the girl that he likes is Lucrece, concocts an outrageous lie that he is already married in order to avoid having to marry Clarice.  Meanwhile, Clarice is secretly engaged to Alceippe, who happens to be a childhood friend of Dorante. When Alceippe confronts Dorante in a duel, Dorante clarifies that he's not in love with Clarice, but Lucrece.  To build the plot, the authors throws in some hysterical side characters like Dorante's butler Cliton, and Clarice's and Lucrece's foxy lady maid, Isabelle who has a twin named Sabine.  After more fabrications and complications (Dorante revealing that his "wife" is pregnant), Géronte is infuriated to discover that he was lied to; Dorante eventually tells the truth and the plot is resolved happily. (wikipedia summary)

I had seen the School for Lies production a few years back and enjoyed it - I forgot Phil had still been in Chicago.  Farce is never his thing - he finds it annoying mostly although I don't exactly know why.... So take someone who is looking for a light and frothy evening - with the usual mistaken identities of the period and the usual happy ending of multiple marriages - and enjoy yourselves!

rushing around Havana

So we left the last post on the way to lunch - and yes it was a good one, I just hadn't come across those photos yet- but here are a few from our lunch above the plaza-

first the plaza- this is the first one restored - and it was done and brand newly restored when I was here in early 2012 and now it is less than pristine- a mere four years later... this is a tough climate to keep things pristine in... literally and figuratively-

our lunch place was upstairs on the plaza-

we all met by this sign and then headed to the bus which took us to the National Art Museum of Cuban art- which had many works I would have shown you but no photos allowed inside---

this is the entrance to the museum- and the only place where photos can be taken-

the others went to the hotel and we immediately met our bici-taxi driver for our arranged tour- an hour around his own neighborhood in Central Havana and a drive by Chinatown.... these are just a few photos of things I saw from under the canopy when we went for our ride-

Havana China Town gate-

a scary toilet store??? LOL

many of the buildings in Central Havana looked like this- the area is much more run down than Habana Vieja...

but there also new things like this business...

as our driver noted -there is much more trash in the streets in Central versus Old Havana- because the tourists don't cross the Prado much - it gets less attention from the government services according to him.

heading back across town to the Old City-

a view inside as we pass by some Central Havana buildings show the details of their once magnificent construction... now barely hanging on...

We get back to the hotel in barely enough time to make a pit stop before getting on the bus for our trip to another artists home for dinner- this one works in mosaic- and I will post one photo to entice you back for the dinner post! LOL

see you at dinner!!!