Thursday, October 08, 2015

New York, Day Eight:  "Clever Little Lies" 

The common wisdom on extramarital affairs (at least in popular culture, if not in actuality) is to deny, deny, deny. No matter how damning the evidence, always claim innocence. In this clever, if insubstantial, new play, currently in production at the Westside Theatre, we get to see both sides of the infidelity equation.  In the very first scene, Billy (George Merrick) confesses to his father (Greg Mullavey) that – despite having a lovely, attractive wife and new baby at home – he has fallen in love with his much younger personal trainer.  Bill swears his father to secrecy – though dad has a confession of his own: his wife Alice (the delightful Marlo Thomas) has a way of prying secrets out of him.  Sure enough, in scene two, Bill Sr. can’t utter a single sentence without Alice sensing something being hidden, and before long she has put in place a plan to uncover all.

Joe DiPietro’s script is tight, workmanlike and engaging, if ultimately lightweight.  It’s the perfect sort of thing for a matinee, when one is seeking a few laughs (and there were some very big ones in here) and a couple of hours spent with someone else’s problems.

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