White's Lies, by Ben Andron, now on Theater Row, is a shallow, but kind of fun, sex comedy. It takes shots at being funny, and there are some laughs. The leading man, played by Tuc Watkins, who is built like the proverbial brick shithouse, is a conscienceless bastard in his mid forties, still preying on young women (who find him irresistible) and leaving a trail of them in his dust. So his mother is dying of cancer and wants a grandchild. That sets the action in motion.
The actors are all excellent: the agile sprite Peter Scolari as his inept sidekick, the fabulous Betty Buckley as his mother, Andrea Grano as his ex-girlfriend, Rena Strober as several women, Jimmy Ray Bennett as several men and the very strong and attractive Christy Carlson Romano -- well, I won't tell you her role.
It's a well-produced and designed show (multipurpose set by Robert Andrew Kocach, costumes by Michael Bevins, lighting by Solomon Weisbard), and director Bob Cline keeps the series of short scenes moving very well. It's mostly predictable, with a few twists, turns and surprises, but the laughs are infrequent in the second act.
Ultimately, White's Lies is a fun sitcom full of references to TV series that I've never seen, and the TV-watchers in the audience had a good time watching live actors perform in a sitcom without commercials.
Previews:
April 12, 2010
Opened:
May 6, 2010
Ended:
June 13, 2010
Country:
USA
State:
New York
City:
New York
Theater Type:
off-Broadway
Theater:
New World Stages
Theater Address:
340 West 50th Street
Running Time:
1 hr, 45 min
Genre:
Comedy
Director:
Bob Cline
Review:
Cast:
Tuc Watkins, Peter Scolari, Betty Buckley, Rena Strober, Christy Carlson Romano, Jimmy Ray Bennett
Technical:
Costumes: Michael Bevins; Lighting: Solomon Weisbard; Set: Robert Andrew Kocach
Critic:
Richmond Shepard
Date Reviewed:
May 2010
