Photo Flash: First Look- Deep Dish's THE LIAR

A French noble who can lie himself out of any predicament, his hopelessly honest servant, identical twin maids and a meddling father are among the hilarious citizenry that populate The Liar, the final offering of the Deep Dish Theater Company's 14th season. David Ives' mirthful adaptation of the classic comedy by Pierre Corneille, staged by Artistic Director Paul Frellick, opens May 1 and plays through May 23 in the company's theater in University Mall. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look below!

As he did with the Mark Twain farce, Is He Dead? (produced by Deep Dish in 2010), Ives has sharpened and enhanced an already hilarious theater piece and created a laugh-out-loud comic romp. The title character, Dorante (Roman Pearah), arrives in Paris in search of romance and adventure and soon manages to generate plenty of both. Dorante's lies get him in and out of trouble with Clarice (Rebecca Bossen), her hot-headed fiancé and his secretive friend (Scott Nagel and Daniel Doyle), her introverted best friend (Maryanne Henderson), and Dorante's own father (Warren Keyes), who is desperate to marry off his son. Meanwhile, Dorante's valet, Cliton (Matthew Hager) struggles to keep up with his master's fabrications and with the apparent schizophrenic behavior of another servant (Marilyn Gormon) as the play careens toward its madcap conclusion.

"The Liar is full of such gleeful energy," says director Frellick, "David Ives has preserved both the verse and the verve of Corneille's original, then wrung even further giddy fun from the play's deceptively simple premise and slyly subversive characters. It's thoroughly theatrical, and if it proves even half as delightful to watch as it's been to work on, it'll be the perfect conclusion to our season."

The production will feature the work of set designer Miyuki Su, lighting designer Liz Droessler, sound designer Marc Maximov, props master Karin Bagan, and costumer LeGrande Smith. David Berberian is the technical director, David McClutchey the fight director, and Jeff Phillips the stage manager.

Dramaturg Karen Blansfield will present a pre-show "Meet the Play" talk on Friday, May 8 at 7 pm. Post-performance discussions will take place Sunday, May 3 (with Karen Blansfield and Paul Frellick); Thursday, May 14 (a Meet the Designers discussion with the production staff); and Sunday, May 17 (with the cast and Douglas MacLean of the UNC Dept. of Philosophy);. The Deep Dish Book Selection-Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel by David Rakoff, will be discussed on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

Performances begin Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday (matinee) at 2 p.m. Deep Dish is located in Chapel Hill's University Mall, on Estes Drive and US 15-501.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and educators, and $21 for students, with a $2 discount for Wednesday and Thursday shows. Every Wednesday, a certain number of "Cheap Dish" tickets will be for sale at the door for just $14. Call 919-968-1515 for ticket reservations and for more information visit www.deepdishtheater.org.

The Deep Dish Theater Company is committed to presenting compelling, human-centered dramatic work that contributes to the cultural richness of the Triangle area and challenges audiences to explore concerns of the community and the world-at-large.

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