The School for Lies

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"But how do you market this?" I said to Mr. M-mv. "How do you get someone to give this a try?"

We had just laughed until we all but cried through the Chicago Shakespeare Theater's The School for Lies, and I decided that I wanted everyone -- especially those who, like me, appreciate the healing powers of laughter and humor -- to see it.

From the Dramatists Play Service:

It's 1666 and the brightest, wittiest salon in Paris is that of Celimene, a beautiful young widow so known for her satiric tongue she's being sued for it. Surrounded by shallow suitors, whom she lives off of without surrendering to, Celimene has managed to evade love since her beloved husband died—until today, when Frank appears. A traveler from England known for his own coruscating wit and acidic misanthropy, Frank turns Celimene's world upside-down, taking on her suitors, matching her barb for barb, and teaching her how to live again. (Never mind that their love affair has been engineered by a couple of well-placed lies.) This wild farce of furious tempo and stunning verbal display, all in very contemporary couplets, runs variations on Molière's The Misanthrope, which inspired it. Another incomparable romp from the brilliant author of All in the Timing.

Featuring Ben Carlson (who previously dazzled at the CST as both Hamlet and Macbeth) as Frank, Deborah Hay as Celimene, and Greg Vinkler (who all but steals the show) as Oronte, and directed by Barbara Gaines, artistic director of the CST, The School for Lies is bawdy, contemporary fun blended with ample doses of social commentary.

Reviews here and here.

"It's smart. It's funny. What more do people need to hear?"

"That it's free."

That elicited a wry laugh from all of us.

Well, it's not free, but if you're under 35, check out CST for $20.