The Liar

Pierre Corneille

Pierre Corneille is a great playwright of the French century of gallantry, but far too often he is overshadowed – by Molière in comedy and by Racine in tragedy. Of his plays, only the tragicomedy Cid is regularly performed – a play which at the time caused confusion among French intellectuals about how a “good” drama should be written. The Liar is a lesser staged play beyond the borders of France; in it, Corneille describes the arrival of the countryman Dorante in Paris and his efforts to attract attention to himself – even at the cost of lying. Corneille himself came to Paris from Rouen and, according to surviving material, suffered from pseudologia phantastica – an obsessive need to pad his CV.

Aminata Keita’s production shifts the setting to the present day – instead of the Tuileries, it takes place in the Paris Métro, and instead of comparing the countryside and the city, Dorante’s need to lie is rooted in his feelings of inferiority and lack of self-confidence which lead him to the urge to be someone else than himself. The adaptation draws from contemporary themes of self-identity adjustment, particularly on social media, which permeate today’s Western societies. As much as the entire play has been brought into the present day, the adaptation has respected and retained Corneille’s original verse form – a regular Alexandrine.

The production relies both on the equilibristic performance of Viktor Kuzník (Dorante) and his ability to enthuse the other characters and the audience alike, even for the silliest of ideas, as well as on an impressive aesthetic rendering – above all that of the Bastille metro station, designed by Martin Chocholoušek, which transforms into an industrial party space during the production, but also of the costumes by Simona Rybáková, a prominent Czech costume designer and fashion academic, who combines the old with the new, making some characters look like they come from a painting from the Louvre and others from a music video by the famous rapper Stromae whose music forms the basis of the musical concept.

 

Translated by Vladimír Mikeš
Directed by Aminata Keita
Dramaturgy by Jaroslav Jurečka
Stage design by Martin Chocholoušek
Costume design by Simona Rybáková
Music by Štěpán Krtička, Stromae
Choreography by Pierre Nadaud

Premiered on 23rd June 2023

For those aged 12+
The production is not primarily intended for children; however, since its theme is a young man’s lack of self-confidence, young audience members are sure to be able to identify with it as well.

 

  • “Martin Glaser and his team have not created some museum piece – it is a modern form in which casual updating, playing with the contemporary language of teenagers, and subtle allusions to the much fashionable question of gender or our full-time restlessness, as we know it from the present times, come to the surface. It is in this skilful grafting of the classic text onto the reality of today and modern theatricality, and in the original performance of the protagonist, who does not cast shade onto his acting surroundings, that I see the main strength or magnet of this successful production.” — Luboš Mareček, Lidové noviny

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  • “The makers of this production chose to portray Truffaldino in a conciliatory manner. Kuzník plays the part as a naive young fellow. The chosen interpretation is especially aided by the adaptation of the vocal expression which resembles that of a disbelieving and uncomprehending child – a soft and swinging voice, maintained by the actor in a stylised tone throughout the production. Kuzník manages to keep a fine balance on the edge between functional stylisation and a grimace nearing the point of mockery. He has a flair for hyperbolised gesturing and, with his consistent performance, creates a sympathetic playful hero.” — Adéla Kalousová, Česká televize

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