THE TRUTH ABOUT WHITE’S LIES

The night started out with our dodging a scheduling disaster; once again the flawed Outlook Cathy uses nearly caused us to miss the show. We made up for lost time and grabbed dinner at Da Marino, good food that would really have tasted just the tiniest bit better if we’d seen Chris Noth again. But then again it was Monday night, not a usual theatre evening.

The New World Theater is a very interesting Off Broadway venue. Built in 1989 as part of Worldwide Plaza, it is quite modern and there is a great deal of activity since multiple shows are going on at once and the outdoor restaurants were packed. Stage 4 is home to WHITE’S LIES which we really knew nothing about except that Betty Buckley of CATS and SUNSET BOULEVARD fame would be in a supporting role, playing Joe White’s mother.

The set is terrific, with no curtain so it is totally exposed at all times. With two front row center seats we had a bird’s eye view of everything, including perspiration! All of the action takes place between Joe’s law office and an ever-changing thematic bar. The modern set is extremely clever and morphs almost seamlessly between the office and bar…the desk becomes the bar counter, etc.

WHITE’S LIES is a comedy with a small, tight cast. Two of the players handle several roles by change of accent and outfit. Ben Andron has written a clever, totally modern and current piece. It was difficult to tell where his script and Bob Cline’s adept direction stopped and started. This is an incredibly well crafted play and the timing was just spot-on perfect. Again, hard to know who to credit here since we thought this show was fabulously cast.

Tuc Watkins is new to Broadway and he’s a keeper. If you are a Desperate Housewives fan then you know Tuc and he is much more than just a handsome face and great body. He did occasionally fumpher over a few of his lines but even that can be forgiven as brief moments in an overall stellar performance. Peter Scolari is a master at physical comedy and his playing off Tuc as his law partner was just delicious to watch. They are total opposites in every way, physically, mannerisms, character and the way they played their roles. Jimmy Ray Bennett as the associate, AKA office assistant (and several other characters), was hysterical.

We wish Betty Buckley would have sung just a few bars but her comedy was fabulous. It was, by the way, quite funny when her son Joe told her that she had a terrible voice! She played the long-suffering mother to the hilt but knew exactly where to stop before becoming a characterization. Andrea Grano and Christy Carlson Romano, as Joe’s college sweetheart and her daughter, are welcome newcomers. They are incredibly talented, their chemistry together terrific and we found them both irresistible.

WHITE’S LIES grabbed us from the very first moment and kept us laughing for the entire evening. This is an evening of theater well worth seeing. It is especially enjoyable if you arrive a bit hassled and kvetchy - truthfully, you will forget all about your worries from the first line.

NEXT UP: LEND ME A TENOR!