'The Liar' by David Ives Adapted from the Comedy by Pierre Corneille at William Hall Library Auditorium

Burbage Theatre Company presents a raucous comedy from the mind of David Ives and Pierre Corneille to begin the dog days of summer. 'The Liar' is the tale of a man who cannot tell the truth, even under the direst of circumstances. After his return to Paris and in quick succession the acquiring of a manservant, Dorante falls in love with Clarice, a charming young woman whom he unfortunately mistakes for her friend Lucrece and who is secretly engaged to the enraged Alcippe. Meanwhile his father arranges for Dorante to marry Clarice (whom he thinks is Lucrece).
From these misunderstandings and a series of breathtakingly intricate lies springs one of the Western world's greatest comedies, the result being 'astonishingly fresh, funny, and totally appealing to modern audiences" (Washington Examiner).
[A story about how lies might function "within a society, within love, how lies are woven into the fabric of things," says Ives of 'The Liar', "It shows how lies can feed love and actually create happiness. But my own personal view is that the play is a wonderful hymn to the artistic. In the same way that Shakespeare's The Tempest uses magic to talk about art, this play uses lying to talk about art. Because, basically, every artist is in some sense a liar, creating truth out of fiction. And in the end, the liar gets exactly what he wants by telling lies." 'The Liar' is fiendishly clever and rather naughty, the wordplay and swordplay of which make for an evening that's filled with delights!]

"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as refracted in a theatrical fun-house mirror. Welcome to The Liar." -David Ives

"The Liar" is a farce to be reckoned with" -John Moore, Denver Post

"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