The Liar NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (151)
See it if you enjoy French farce and David Ives very clever rhyming couplets. Very well-acted
Don't see it if You don't like French farce
See it if UR up for a delightfully witty script w/ more verbal dexterity + wit than the last 5 shows you've seen combined delivered by a terrific cast
Don't see it if You have no sense of humor and don't want to be highly entertained for 2 hours - or don't like iambic pentameter + non-stop rhyming verse. Read more
See it if You think, as I do, that David Ives is a very funny (and talented) playwright.
Don't see it if If a costume drama in rhymed couplets doesn't sound as funny to you as proves to be.
See it if you like a delightfully silly comedy with a great cast (and Carson Elrod who seems an perfect match to David Ives' comedic plays).
Don't see it if you need a deep plot in your comedies.
See it if you like a period comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously. very enjoyable rhyming script
Don't see it if you don't like a bit of goofiness or the rhyming pentameter annoys you.
See it if you like elegant farce-style comedy in Renaissance times, are a fan of the brilliant Carson Elrod, want a good laugh
Don't see it if You are not a fan of comedy or rhyming pentameter in which the play is presented, don't like cheeky adaptations with current references
See it if You want to forget your troubles and relish literate comedy, don't mind low humor ,and like rhymed couplets
Don't see it if Pentameter annoys you and rhyme bores you
See it if you like good, fun acting and writing
Don't see it if classics are not your thing
Critic Reviews (40)
"A hilarious romp...Deliciously directed with quickness and great flair for the ridiculousness by Michael Kahn...For all the craziness and silliness of the dialogue, the idiosyncratic references, and the over-the-top antics, the emotional underlying truth is still present and accessible...This wonderfully hilarious play may have raised my spirit at a rough time in our lives."
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"A superb farce replete with delightful characters caught up in hilarious situations. 'The Liar' lands on stage at the perfect time and reminds theatergoers of the enduring importance of vaudeville in times of political upheaval...David Ives earns his wordsmith accolades in this ‘translaptation’...The cast is uniformly impressive...Director Michael Kahn keeps the energetic cast moving at breakneck speed appropriate to the farce."
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"The chief enjoyment lies in Ives' notable deftness at writing entertainingly clever rhymes, often with corny groaners accompanied by a self-deprecating tone showing just how much he's aware of his own outrageousness...Kahn's sprightly troupers...race along with energy and flair, getting the fun from every pun, and making the two hours pass agreeably...For all the skill and effort expended, 'The Liar' remains on the pleasantly amusing side of the comedy scale, rarely tipping toward hilarity."
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"Master wordsmith David Ives has once more translated and transmutated a French comedy using perfect pentameter (rhymed verse), creating a sweet yet tart soufflé, expertly prepared by director Michael Kahn and served up by a talented cast...Ives doesn’t entirely let politicians or lawyers off the hook (there are a couple of smartly timed jabs at these professions), but 'The Liar' is far less interested in making us think than it is in making us laugh."
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"Its main strength lies not in its timeliness or plot but the subversive whimsy of its language...In bouts of meta-theatrical playfulness, Ives ropes in his characters to grapple with the challenge of the versifying, which is sometimes cringe-worthy, sometimes hilarious–most often, both...Director Michael Kahn has assembled a competent eight-member cast and puts them through a fast farcical pace, with well-placed slapstick and comic bits."
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"Ives’ infinite jokes land consistently because they’re so well played...The director takes obvious care that Ives’ crackling lines trip off the actors’ tongues so felicitously that audience members often cheer. Everything is lickety-split, all the more entertaining for being so...The stand-out performance is a revolving door—it’s whomever is speaking at the time...They’re all flawless...Still, special praise must go out to Elrod. A forever-reliable stage clown, he’s a stitch."
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"Early in this French farce, a manservant warns us that the play is in verse. He could have also warned us about the plot, the direction, and most of the performances, because Ives’ clever verse is about the only entertaining diversion offered by 'The Liar'...The only suspense here is how words end up being rhymed. At this moment on the New York stage, Ives is without a doubt the best wordsmith...Only Elrod and Adam Lefevre have the requisite style and ease with the language."
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"Between the verse of Mr. Ives and the clowning of Mr. Elrod, it is Cliton who instantly engages our attention and affection at CSC. Elrod might well be the best farceur to turn up since James Corden...Conn, Mendes and Pedlow all add to the evening’s charms, but it’s hard to hold the spotlight when there is a master clown upstage...'The Liar' is sparklingly witty fun and merits a slot on your playlist."
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