The School For Lies Spins A Moliere Classic

By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 21, 2012 5:20PM

Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay as the ill-suited lovers Frank and Celimene in The School for Lies.

“I am the one true democrat on the Earth’s crust. I treat all men with uniform disgust.”

And so goes the remaining 90 minutes in the lyrical David Ives play The School for Lies — bouncy, fast-paced lines meet a hefty dose of wit and humor. But as far as satires go, this brilliant, quasi modern re-imagining of Moliere’s The Misanthrope revolves around a subject that’s always crass, with or without the rhyming couplets: trash talk.

In Ives’ play, the cynical Frank (Ben Carlson) intrudes upon the 17th-century Paris salon of the young widow Celimene (Deborah Hay), where she entertains her three daffy suitors (Paul Slade Smith, Kevin Gudahl and Greg Vinkler) with harsh impersonations of her supposed friends — slander that’s already gotten her into trouble in the French court. Amid the backstabbing and insincerity, Frank’s self-righteousness and bluntness grows. Yet despite his opposing social dogma, he falls for Celimene. Thanks to a few choice rumors, the ill-suited lovers are quickly thwarted when the inhibited Eliante (Heidi Ketternring) throws herself at Frank, despite the fact that her obvious true love is the reticent Philinte (Sean Fortunato). It’s an intertwined mess of a love affair, but quick-witted lines, a dash of slapstick and overall campiness only add to the appeal.

Fortunately, you don’t need to know much about The Misanthrope to understand the parallels between the gossiping French aristocracy and today’s world of social media and scandal. Ives elevates the play into pure farce, replete with hilariously over-the-top costumes (Susan Mickey) and a richly detailed set by Daniel Ostling. But despite the period-appropriateness, Ives’s show draws most of its wit from modern day references — it’s not often you hear “lol” used in iambic pentameter. The School for Lies is most certainly smart, flippant and bawdy, but above all, wholly entertaining.

The School for Lies runs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier through Jan. 20, 2013.