368-YEAR OLD COMEDY MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER
The modern adaptation of “The Liar” is more relevant than ever by showcasing both the intended and unintended effects of dishonesty in communications about relationships. Frequently hilarious when showcasing how gullible we can be yet simultaneously poignant in how lies known as such often are tolerated, the falsehoods in “The Liar” seem obvious yet consistently are demonstrably effective in achieving the intended result of the scoundrel uttering them.
The comedy’s highlight is the ability of the main character, Dorante, to manufacture lies which initially are believable, in part, because they are so sincerely and exquisitely told. As he digs himself into one hole after another, however, he finds himself forced to use even greater fabrications to temporarily save himself — a willingness to sacrifice the future for the immediacy of transitory comfort or ephemeral success today.
A magniloquent verbal Ponzi schemer, Dorente preys on his victims’ gullibility and robs them of their innocence. Even those who see through his scheming somehow still manage to get ensnared in the fury of his whirlwind of lies. With today’s political realm deeply implicated by insinuation, “The Liar,” unfortunately, is as relevant now as it was almost four centuries ago. That may have been the attraction to the audience, which was surprisingly young for a playwright (Pierre Corneille) who died in 1684 and about whom few probably had been aware.
Go to www.DenverCenter.org or call (303) 893-4100 for tickets at the Denver Center’s intimate theater-in-the-round Space Theatre for ticket through October 16th.
Aaron Harber "Unplugged" 