Having played first at George Street Playhouse and East Hampton's Guild Hall before making its Off-Broadway debut, Clever Little Lies is a well oiled show that is guaranteed to make you laugh. This comedic interpretation of the struggles that come with family life by playwright Joe DiPietro delivers excellently timed dialogue that brings the characters, and their many flaws, to life.
Bill Sr., played by Greg Mullavey, and his son, affectionately known as Billy (George Merrick), are conversing quite casually when Billy reveals he is having an affair with a younger woman, much to his father's surprise. Billy convinces his father not to say anything, but Bill Sr.'s wife, Alice (Marlo Thomas), is well aware that there's something her husband isn't telling her. Through a unique guessing game where Bill Sr. says nothing, Alice figures out that there is something wrong with her son's marriage and drops her evening plans to have her son, his wife, and their newborn daughter over. After enticing Bill Jr. and his wife, Jane (played by Kate Weatherhead), to come over with the promise of cheesecake, the chaos of the evening finally begins.
Once both couples are under the same roof, secrets are revealed and wrongdoings come to light. The extremely witty dialogue is broken up nicely by moments of vulnerability from each character: Director David Saint has done a wonderful job making these characters real, and the interactions between them honest. George Mullavey plays the perfect oblivious husband with funny one-liners and occasional overreactions, but then later on lets his guard down and reveals his deeper and truer self. Marlo Thomas commands the stage as the comedically overbearing mother, while also conveying true emotion in her most vulnerable scenes. George Merrick and Kate Weatherhead play an excellently paired husband and wife who complement not only each other, but their fellow actors on stage.
This 90-minute, no-intermission show will not only make you burst into laughter (some audience members were laughing after every line), but will allow you a window into the compromises we all make and the humanity it takes to make them. With a strong cast and humorous script, Clever Little Lies tells a simple story with touching message. It's well worth your time.
