Chicago Shakespeare Theater: The School for Lies
WHAT: The School for Lies
WHEN: December 4, 2012 – January 20, 2013
WHERE: Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater (800 E. Grand – Navy Pier)
HOST: Chicago Shakespeare Theater
OUR RATING: Skip It!
If there is one production that it is not vital to see this winter, it’s The School for Lies, at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. In this little jaunt directed by CST’s artistic director Barbara Gaines, Molière’s Misanthrope is adapted by playwright David Ives for the modern audience, with less than impressive results.
The School for Lies (photo courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
Adam: I almost don’t want to confuse you with the over-complicated plot, but in a nutshell, Frank, French but recently returned from England, has adopted the habit of always telling the truth and in order to dissuade his friend from lying, spreads rumours about him. This method backfires, when untruths are thrown his way, casting him into the romantic clutches of Celimene, a wealthy gossipess. Needless to say the story develops along most Shakespearean lines, and yet I suspect the Bard and even Molière would find its pandering, Millennial-centric dialogue, and serious unfunny twists quite revolting.
Don’t get me wrong, we had a few chortles, but nothing that I would come back for. It’s a shame really: Daniel Ostling’s set was ravishing and really built your hopes up (just check out the massively intricate chandelier that looms over every scene). The male costumes were also well thought out, and placed you in those foppish French times so long past.
Alicia: Adam’s synopsis is pretty much on the dot. However, I must parse out his review of Susan E. Mickey’s costumes. Their construction was impeccable and they were absolutely stunning overall, both the men’s and the women’s. However, I think the costume designer had some conceptual problems. I got it, Arsinoe is a spider, right? Spinning her web of lies and chaos. So put her in a big dress that’s black and purple and amazingly reminiscent of a spider. I think the same kind of tangential thinking went into the other female costumes. Worst of all, I saw very little thought in how the females were in relationship with the males in terms of their costumes, and ultimately it seemed like the costumer’s imagination got a little ahead of them. Beautiful, but a bit un-entertainingly ridiculous. And then there was Acaste…I don’t even know what I thought of that 70’s take-back of a costume. Except that my mother has those exact same glasses, which is terrifying.
Other than that, I felt relatively lukewarm about everything else. Ben Carlson (Frank) was perhaps the strongest actor of the bunch, but I enjoyed seeing Samuel Taylor (Lookingglass Alice at Lookingglass Theatre Company), Sean Fortunato (Enron at TimeLine Theatre Company) and Heidi Kettenring (Season’s Greetings at Northlight Theatre) on stage again. I love Samuel Taylor (Dubois/Basque) so much that I tried my darndest to laugh at his canapé bits, with only limited success. I’ll admit his fire-orange quaffed wig had me almost in tears with laughter, though. Meanwhile, Fortunato (Philante) sports an impressive attire that will certainly elicit quite a few giggles. Cinderella may have met her match.
And I will never bad-mouth the naked enchantment of the intimate CST Courtyard Theater.
The final say: Probably not worth your time or money. Give it a miss, but make sure to look at those photos of the chandelier that are circulating on Facebook and in various reviews from critics. Breathtaking.
P.S.: If you want to pick up the script for further reference, here is a really complete edition from Northwestern University – The School for Lies: A Play Adapted from Moliere’s The Misanthrope
