THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 14, 1995 TAG: 9501130070
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY MONTAGUE GAMMON III, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
WHERE WAS THE audience for this funny, clever, well-staged show? ``The Liar'' is one of those free-wheeling comic productions with which the Generic Theater usually fills its seats. The staging is slick, the costumes exceptional, the set conspicuously well-done, the acting deft, and the publicity more visible than that for any show Generic has done in some time.
So why was the small house no more than half-full on opening night? Don't people like a good laugh? Is there some unheralded reaction against slapstick? Is clowning around out of fashion?
Anyone who skipped the show because of the much-publicized pseudo-political ``frame'' that tries to link this old Italian comedy to recent Latin American revolutions made a mistake. That link has no effect, good or bad, on the real value of the production.
For all the effort that has gone into decorating the theater's lobby with Nicaraguan posters and dressing the staff and volunteers in camouflage fatigues, for all the intricacies of giving cast and crew Hispanic stage names and fictionalized biographies, all that remains of the politicizing efforts when the Carlo Goldoni play begins are a few changes in place and character names.
Director Jerald Pope (called Jeraldo del Pappas for this show) is too professional and too responsible to let his political concept interfere with the dramatic value of a good text.
Once the cast has unfolded Elwood Robinson's clever and detailed set, like a company of strolling players setting up in a village square, what follows is a broad comedy full of sight gags, slapstick and familiar stage types.
``The Liar'' takes its title from the young, womanizing braggart called Lelo del Norte, who makes up fantastic tales about himself as he tries to seduce two sisters simultaneously. Returning incognito to his native town after a 20-year absence, he contrives falsehoods that trigger a chain reaction of mistaken identities, romantic triangles, plots and counterplots.
Lelo's old friend Octavio loves one of the sisters whom Lelo would bed, while the other sister is admired by a cripplingly shy young medical student, Florin Garcia. Garcia is in turn the lodger and pupil of the girls' father, Dr. Sandino, who in his turn is the good friend of Pantolone del Norte, Lelo's father.
Thrown into the mix are Lelo's servant Arlequin and Octavio's man Briguela. With the sister's maid, Columbine, they enact their own romantic triangle while attempting to keep up with the zany activities of their employers.
The cast is energetic and fun to watch, though on opening night they might have been a little sharper executing their physical comedy. That crispness should come when the cast has put a couple of performances behind them. Everyone brings to their parts the consistency and concentration that make their outlandish characters immediately accessible.
Lelo is played by Bruce Hanson, Octavio by Jason Stiles and the two girls by Dori Holland and Susanna Pappa. Much comic responsibility falls on the shoulders of Steven Filer Munley, who in the role of Arlequin is either involved in the various schemes or commenting on the action from the sidelines.
The director plays Pantolone with exceptional precision, and Jim Luker is cast as his counterpart, Dr. Sandino. Briguela is played by Tony Dean and the bawdy Columbina by Karen Osborn.
The intricate and detailed costumes which - along with the set - give the production a colorful, wholly professional look, are by Frankie Little Hardin.
Viewers can choose for themselves whether they should ignore the political trappings that adorn this production. Without the politics, they will still see a good comedy, and with the politics, they will see the same thing. Only if they let their preconceptions keep them away from the theater will they lose anything. MEMO: THEATER REVIEW
What: ``The Liar,'' by Carlo Goldoni
When: 8 p.m. today through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Jan. 29.
Where: Generic Theater, 912 W. 21st St., Norfolk
Tickets: 441-2160 by CNB