Lies, All Lies…

Well, Not Quite. But you´ll hear a passel of prevarications in this hilarious concoction of falsehoods and fabrications starting from the opening act of Here Lies Jeremy Troy at the Glendale Centre Theatre. Directed by Tim Dietlein, Jack Sharkey´s play is a laugh and a lie a minute.

The charlatan of the piece is Jeremy Troy, played with boundless energy by the talented Daniel Roebuck who can pratfall as easily as he can spin those truthless tales. For you see, Jeremy is a lawyer…that isn´t why he can tell such good lies…well, maybe that´s part of it, but Jeremy never really graduated from law school. For twelve years he has kept that fact from his adoring wife, Kathryn, and his boss.

But trouble comes knocking at his door in the form of old college buddy, Charlie Bickle, sensationally played by Kelly Flynn, who has been sponging off college acquaintances for years. Charlie is a ho-hum artist who needs a place to stay now that winter has set in. And when he finds out Jeremy has been passing himself off as a lawyer, Charlie thinks he has found his temporary meal ticket.

Charlie calls an artist´s agency and asks them to send over a model so he can start painting. The model thinks Jeremy hired her since she is sent to the Troy home. Kathryn, the wife, meets the blonde model and totally misunderstands why she is there. All she hears is that "men need a hobby and the blonde only charges $5 an hour."

Consummate comedienne Megan Blakeley plays the shocked wife, Kathryn. Her reaction to the news her husband has a "hobby" is priceless. She isn´t going to take this lying down, but does, after drinking coffee laced with tranquilizers meant for Charlie to shut him up before he blows everything to the little woman. Both the blonde and the wife end up passed out on the couch.

But when the explanations start coming out, everybody is misunderstanding everything that is being said because too many lies have already been perpetrated, so Kathryn storms out, leaving Jeremy in a bind since his boss is coming to dinner and he might be getting that big promotion he has been anticipating.

Jeremy turns in desperation to the blonde bombshell, saying he´ll pay her $10 an hour if she will pose as his wife. JJ Rodgers is positively delightful as the ditzy blonde, Tina Winslow, whose cooking prowess starts with "burning the lettuce" and ends with making "black-eyed pea pie."

Armed with a comic Southern accent and one-liners and posturing that wowed the audience, Tina (who is an aspiring actress) tackles the wife role, but then Kathryn comes back. Kathryn ends up being crowned the "Princess of Romania" in order to fool the boss, Sven Ivorsen, played with irresistible charm by the irrepressible Mario DiGregorio. The mix up at the dinner table was timed to perfection. Kudos to director Dietlein for polishing this scene to perfection.

But when the truth comes out, at least to everybody but Mr. Ivorsen, the lies have made everybody pair up incorrectly. The blonde is still considered Jeremy´s wife, and now Charlie is dating the Princess, but Charlie really likes the blonde. Oh, my.

Before it´s over, Jeremy will find out why his wife really wanted to marry a lawyer in the first place, and the boss has to decide what it really takes to be a lawyer. And is Tina really a Rockafeller? The truth will tickle you.

Join this superb cast for a laugh riot until May 16, 2009, at the Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale, CA 91203. Tickets range from $21 - $23 (Season Tickets are still the best bet). Reservations: (818) 244-8481, or online: www.glendalecentretheatre.com.