David Ives's THE LIAR Begins Previews Tonight at Classic Stage Company

Classic Stage Company will present the comedy THE LIAR by David Ives, adapted from the play Le Menteur by Pierre Corneille, and directed by Michael Kahn, beginning previews tonight, January 11 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). THE LIAR will have its official press opening Thursday, January 26 and play a limited engagement through Sunday, February 26.

THE LIAR marks the sixth production in the highly-successful collaboration between Ives and CSC that includes A Spanish Play (translation, 2007), New Jerusalem (2008),) Venus In Fur (2010, followed by Broadway in 2012), The School for Lies (2011) and The Heir Apparent (2014).

A hilarious seventeenth century farce of mistaken identity and secrets, THE LIAR is the tale of the charming Dorante who cannot tell the truth and the manservant Clinton who cannot lie. The cast of THE LIAR includes Christian Conn, Aubrey Deeker, Carson Elrod, Kelly Hutchinson, Adam LeFevre, Ismenia Mendes, Amelia Pedlow and Tony Roach, set design is by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Murell Horton, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, original music by Adam Wernick and sound design by Matt Stine.

THE LIAR will perform Tuesday through Thursdays at 7 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm and 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets from $60. For tickets, visit classicstage.org, call (212) 352-3101 or (866) 811-4111, or in person at the box office (136 East 13th Street).

David Ives (Playwright) was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play for his play Venus In Fur, which premiered at Classic Stage Company before moving to Broadway. The play has since been produced all over the country and the world, and turned into a film by Roman Polanski that premiered in 2013 at the Cannes Film Festival. Other plays of David Ives that premiered at Classic Stage: The Heir Apparent, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza (winner of the prestigious Hull-Warriner Award) and The School For Lies (adapted from Molière's Misanthrope), as well as his translation of Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play. He is well-known for his evenings of one-act comedies All in the Timing and Time Flies. Other works include White Christmas; Polish Joke; and Ancient History. He is the author of three young-adult novels: Monsieur Eek, Scrib, and Voss, and he has adapted 32 American musicals for New York City's beloved Encores! series.

Michael Kahn (Director). Michael Kahn's work in theatre and opera has been seen on Broadway, off-Broadway, in American regional theatres, and at international venues. He has been the Artistic Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC for nearly three decades. During this time he has directed award-winning classical theatre productions, instituted free Shakespeare performances, and led the Theatre to receive the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award. From 1992-2005, Mr. Kahn was the Richard Rogers Chair of the Drama Division at Juilliard, where he has taught since its founding in 1968. He also served as the Artistic Director of The Acting Company, McCarter Theatre Center, and the American Shakespeare Theatre. He earned a Tony nomination for his direction of Showboat. In 2013 Mr. Kahn was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame and was named an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

Classic Stage Company (CSC). Now in its 49th Season, CSC is committed to re-imagining classic stories for contemporary audiences. The company has been a home for New York's finest established and emerging artists to grapple with the great works of the world's repertory that speak directly to the issues of today. CSC serves an average of 35,000 audience members annually, including more than 4,000 students through its nationally recognized education programs. Productions have been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards including the Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work.