The Liar
83

The Liar NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%
(151 Ratings)
Positive
91%
Mixed
7%
Negative
2%
Members say
Clever, Funny, Entertaining, Delightful, Great acting

About the Show

Classic Stage Company presents David Ives' adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s 'Le Menteur,' a 17th-century farce filled with misunderstandings and mistaken identities.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (151)

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55 Reviews | 8 Followers
85
Delightful, Funny, Clever, Entertaining, Great acting

See it if you enjoy an entertaining, funny evening that has great acting and beautiful costumes in an intimate theater.

Don't see it if you need all of your theater to push boundaries and discuss topical issues.

414 Reviews | 70 Followers
85
Great acting, Great writing, Funny, Entertaining, Clever

See it if an adaptation of a 17th cent. French comedy done in verse (with modern references), you loved Ives' The Heir Apparent and you want to laugh

Don't see it if you don't want a play about a liar or one about mistaken identities that cause confusion (and laughter on our part) or a play done in verse Read more

118 Reviews | 47 Followers
85
Clever, Entertaining, Funny, Intelligent

See it if you’re not adverse to seeing a play told in verse. Able playwright, cast and crew makes an old story seem fresh and new.

Don't see it if farce is not your thing, the forced plot will have a familiar ring. And then for some, even worse, the thing is totally told all in verse Read more

244 Reviews | 71 Followers
85
Delightful, Great acting, Great writing, Dizzying, Hilarious

See it if you enjoy farce and wordplay. You're a fan of old-school mistaken identity plays but enjoy a modern twist.

Don't see it if you don't like anachronisms in what is ostensibly a period piece or if you don't enjoy farce.

688 Reviews | 116 Followers
84
Clever, Confusing, Entertaining, Funny, Great acting

See it if Another dazzling, verbal confection by Ives this time from Corneille's farce of mismatched lovers. Kahn's turbo-charged staging can confuse

Don't see it if Rhymed couplets not for everyone but Ives' verbal dexterity can at times match L-M Miranda's Inspired ensemble (Tony Roach A+) often dazzles

don
506 Reviews | 1008 Followers
83
Clever, Enchanting, Funny

See it if you enjoy farce. Despite my ahange in the taste for humor, I found this delightful. Loved Carson Elrod

Don't see it if you expect serious drama or a musical.

85 Reviews | 24 Followers
83
Clever, Funny, Entertaining, Great acting

See it if you enjoy Shakespearean-type plots, want a good laugh, and enjoy good acting.

Don't see it if you can't appreciate a silly story.

108 Reviews | 27 Followers
80
Sly, Delightful, Great writing, Playful

See it if You exult in language, especially humorous and sophisticated verse. Thoroughly top notch cast and writing. Pure escapism.

Don't see it if You can no longer laugh at pathological liars who seem to escape all consequences Folks near me seemed to struggle with hearing devices

Critic Reviews (40)

B
January 26th, 2017

"Ives is in top form and the production is another triumph of style over substance. The slight plot, a trifle based on mistaken identities, is performed with conviction by an excellent cast...Michael Kahn directs with a light touch. My only reservation is that it is almost too much of a good thing. The slenderness of the plot barely supports the play’s length, despite all its cleverness."
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Cultural Weekly
February 1st, 2017

"This latest fluffy dessert is delicious and full of lighter-than-air rhymes. Did I mention the script is all in verse?...Though Dorante is the title character and Christian Conn makes him a dashing rogue, the real star of the evening is Carson Elrod...Elrod is a masterful clown, expertly prattling and mugging, but never going over the top...Hutchinson comes in a close second behind Elrod in the comic sweepstakes."
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Wolf Entertainment Guide
February 1st, 2017

"A delightful farce…Ives meshes all of this into iambic pentameter, a rhythm that threatens to become soporific but is rescued by the sheer wit of the adaptation. Michael Kahn has directed with briskness and an eye for what to stress to obtain maximum laughter. The character collage is felicitously portrayed by excellent actors…The overall result is a breezy romp that is consistently enjoyable, and becomes another feather in the cap of Ives."
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Broadway & Me
January 28th, 2017

“Michael Kahn directs the show with brio, although perhaps too much of it. ‘The Liar’ also boasts a game cast…They all work hard and mainly land their jokes, particularly the invaluable funnyman Carson Elrod…And yet, the airiness is missing. It's as though Kahn and his actors couldn't decide if they should be ironic or all-out silly and so got caught in the mushy middle. That can sometimes be OK for an eggy custard but not for a soufflé—or a French farce."
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Newsday
January 30th, 2017

"Ives is back in familiar territory, the Classic Stage Theater, with his breezy, good-natured translation of Pierre Corneille’s mid-17th century comedy, 'The Liar'...Amiably directed and cast by Michael Kahn, the verse play involves confusion about women named Clarice and Lucrece and their amorous, swashbuckling young men...Just when the rhyming anachronisms get really self-conscious and tiresome, the two-hour frolic is over."
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The Huffington Post
January 26th, 2017

"A comedy in verse, filled with buoyant plotting, relentless wordplay and just enough gravitas to make it matter. Add in an excellent ensemble, gorgeous costumes, an elegantly simple set and invisible direction by Michael Kahn and you’ve got yourself a very satisfying evening of theater...A solid first act becomes a terrific second act. Elrod is a delight throughout as the truth-telling master-of-ceremonies Cliton. Kelly Hutchinson practically steals the show."
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NorthJersey.com
January 27th, 2017

"It’s Ives’ dialogue, full of unexpected and delightfully twisty rhymes, that makes the evening, sharply directed by Michael Kahn, so much fun…Listening to the jaunty speeches, and anticipating the next clever rhyme, is like watching a master juggler. You wonder what he’ll toss into the air next, and how he’ll keep everything aloft. Ives does falter slightly at times, settling for a merely utilitarian rhyme instead of an inspired one. But his batting average is very high."
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Epoch Times
January 31st, 2017

“A delightful romp…The great joy of this show is the way Dorante effortlessly reels off one invented scenario after another…The story is also helped by Michael Kahn’s strong direction and the characters’ comic antics. Conn is wonderful as Dorante…The best thing about this production of ‘The Liar’ is that it doesn’t try to be more than it sets out to be: a rollicking good time that will leave you laughing in the end, the beginning, and in-between."
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