The Metromaniacs

B

If you have seen one of David Ives’s three previous riffs on classical French comedy — The School for Lies after Moliere, The Heir Apparent after Regnard and The Liar after Corneille — you will know exactly what to expect from this latest “translaptation” (what he calls his translated adaptations). A featherweight plot is sustained by the cleverness of Ives’s rhymed and often amusingly anachronistic couplets, artfully delivered by a talented cast in a stylish production. That’s what Ives again delivers, but this time out it does not seem quite as effortless. Ives had to dig deep to find his source, an obscure 1738 play by a virtually forgotten author, Alexis Piron. Based on actual events, it relates how a scorned Parisian poet got back at the literati by assuming the persona of a Breton shepherdess whose poetry charmed them all including Voltaire. In Ives’s version, the multiple impersonations and mistaken identifies are so complicated that even the actors get confused. The humor is a bit broader and the quality of the rhymes is a bit lower. The delightful cast includes holdovers from previous Ives plays — Christian Conn, Adam LeFevre and Amelia Pedlow — in addition to Noah Averbach-Katz, Adam Green (The Witch of Edmonton), Peter Kybart (Awake and Sing) and Dina Thomas (Tribes). Alas, Carlson Elrod, whose previous Ives performances added so much fun, is absent this time. Murell Horton is back with more wonderful costumes and Michael Kahn again directs with flair. The set design by James Noone (Sunset Boulevard) is also excellent. If you have not seen one of the earlier plays, you will probably be delighted; if you have, you might be a bit disappointed. Ives has apparently moved his New York base from Classic Stage Company to Red Bull Theater. CSC”s loss is a win for Red Bull. Running time: one hour 50 minutes including intermission.

Links to reviews of earlier Ives plays:

The School for Lies https://bobs-theater-blog.blogspot.com/2011/05/school-for-lies.html

The Heir Apparent https://bobs-theater-blog.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-heir-apparent.html

The Liar https://bobs-theater-blog.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-liar.html

The Liar

A-

One of the most enjoyable plays I saw in 2011 was The School for Lies, David Ives’s delightful riff on Moliere’s The Misanthrope, at Classic Stage Company. The cleverness of Ives’s rhymed couplets, full of anachronisms and contemporary references, more than compensated for the silliness of the plot. Three years later, Ives was back at CSC with his “translaptation” (his word) of “The Heir Apparent,” a comedy by lesser known French playwright Regnard. While enjoyable, it did not reach the hilarious peaks of the earlier piece. Now CSC is presenting Ives’s latest adaptation of a classic French comedy, Corneillie’s The Liar (Le Menteur). The good news is that 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 led by Christian Conn in the title role of Dorante and the ever-enjoyable Carson Elrod (“All in the Timing,” “The Heir Apparent,” “The Explorers Club’) as his manservant Cliton, who cannot tell a lie. Ismenia Mendes and Amelia Pedlow are charming as Clarice and Lucrece. Tony Roach is fun as Alcippe, Clarice’s secret fiance. Aubrey Deeker is fine in the less showy role of Philiste. Adam LeFevre brings warmth to the role of Dorante’s father Geronte, Kelly Hutchinson is a delight its the twin maids Isabelle and Sabine. The elegantly simple set by Alexander Dodge and the attractive costumes by Murell Horton enhance the production. 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. Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes including intermission.

Comfort alert: The seats in Row A do not have arms.