“Clever Little Lies”—an adult comedy by Joe DiPietro about love and marriage in, and outside of, the bonds of matrimony—will be the first play of the Hampton Theatre Company’s 2017-2018 season, opening on October 26 at the Quogue Community Hall and running through November 12.
Sensing from her husband that something is wrong in their son’s marriage, Alice invites the young couple over for a cocktails and cheesecake interrogation. As one set of lies threatens to unravel a relationship in this comedy and drama of falsehoods and infidelity, Alice offers an object lesson by spinning a new web of fanciful deceit about her own marriage. Or is she telling the truth?
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Diana Marbury, Carolann DiPirro, Edward A. Brennan and Terrance Fiore in a scene from the HTC production of "Clever Little Lies" in Quogue. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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Characterized as both “shattering and hilarious,” the play and its mature themes were described by The New York Times as “good old-fashioned comfort food for theatergoers … a blend of comedy and sentiment, with maybe just a hint of a sting.”
The cast of “Clever Little Lies” features four Hampton Theatre Company veterans—Ed Brennan, Carolann DiPirro, Terrance Fiore, and Diana Marbury. The family matriarch, Alice, is played by HTC Artistic Director Diana Marbury, last seen on the HTC stage in “4,000 Miles” last winter. Terrance Fiore, last on stage in Quogue in “Other People’s Money” in 2013, has the role of Alice’s husband Bill Sr.
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Diana Marbury and Terrance Fiore. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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Edward A. Brennan, last on stage in Quogue as Inspector Goole in “An Inspector Calls” in 2015, has the role of the couple’s son, Billy; his wife, Jane, is played by Carolann DiPirro, who played Anne Frank in the very first production of the company in 1985. More recently, she played Goodwife Doolittle in the 2016 Literature Live production of “The Scarlet Letter” at Bay Street Theater.
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Carolann DiPirro and Edward A. Brennan. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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Carolann DiPirro and Edward A. Brennan. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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Although he won the Tony Award for Best Book for a Musical in 2010 for “Memphis,” American playwright, lyricist and author Joe DiPietro is perhaps best known for writing the book and lyrics for the long-running Off-Broadway show “I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change,” which opened in 1996 and ran for 12 years (5,003 performances) Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre. His 1998 comedy “Over the River and Through the Woods” played the John Houseman Theatre for 800 performances over two years.
DiPietro made his Broadway debut in 2005 with the Elvis Presley jukebox musical “All Shook Up.” With Bon Jovi's David Bryan, he wrote “The Toxic Avenger,” which opened Off-Broadway on April 6, 2009, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. He also wrote the book for “Nice Work If You Can Get It” starring Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara, which opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre in 2012.
HTC board president Andrew Botsford directs. Set design is by Sean Marbury; lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski; and costumes by Teresa Lebrun.
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Edward A. Brennan, Diana Marbury, Terrance Fiore. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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Following its successful introduction last year, an additional Saturday matinee performance will be offered on the final weekend of the production, prior to the regular 8 p.m. performance that evening.
“Clever Little Lies" runs at the Quogue Community Hall from October 26 to November 12 with shows on Thursdays and Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2:30. The additional matinee performance of “Clever Little Lies” will be presented on Saturday, November 11, at 2:30 p.m.
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Terrance Fiore, Edward A. Brennan. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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The Hampton Theatre Company will again be offering special dinner and theater packages in collaboration with the Westhampton, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Quogue libraries. Offered in association with the Quogue Club at the Hallock House, there will also be a special lunch and theater package available for the Saturday matinee on November 11. For information about all packages and available discounts, visit www.hamptontheatre.org or email [email protected]. Additional information about library dinner and theater packages is also available through the libraries.
To reserve tickets, visit www.hamptontheatre.org, or call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.
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Diana Marbury, Carolann DiPirro, Edward A. Brennan and Terrance Fiore. Photo by Tom Kochie.
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