Golden West prepares an updated oldie

Golden West College has been known to reach way back into ancient times for its stage productions (i.e. “Oedipus” and “Medea”), which makes the college’s upcoming show seem brand new ? it was written in the 1750s.

Actually, Carlo Goldoni’s “The Liar” ? or at least the version Golden West will be presenting, beginning July 7 ? is of fairly recent vintage. It was staged in 1995 at the Laguna Playhouse by director Andrew Barnicle after being updated to the 1960s by Barnicle’s wife, Sara.

“I saw Andy’s original production and I loved it,” declared GWC’s Tom Amen, who will be directing the upcoming version. “I also knew that I wanted to direct the play myself at some point, so it’s great to finally have this chance to share the play with our own audience here at GWC.”

“The Liar,” which will be updated from its original commedia dell’ arte form, centers around Lelio, a young Venetian incapable of telling the truth. As he spins one outlandish whopper after another, complications rapidly multiply.

“At that time (the 18th century), the plays were short, simple and largely improvised scenarios, performed by traveling theater companies,” Amen noted. “Doing away with complex story lines and lengthy exposition, the plays were not particularly sophisticated and tended to cater to those with simple tastes.

“However, the plays introduced a series of readily identifiable stock characters, along with a host of trademark comic gags, many of which are still with us today,” he added. “Much of the shtick that we’ve all grown to love in the comedy of the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Lucy and Desi and others has its roots in these commedia pieces.”

In the Golden West production, the title role will be played by Mark Bedard, a UC Irvine drama student who was GWC’s resident leading man during his undergraduate days. Other familiar faces in the cast include Christa Mathis and Joshua Matheson.

Rounding out the “Liar” company are Tony Torrico, Michelle Terrill, Bruce Alexander, Ray Lynch, Kalinda Gray, Alec Malczynski, Brian Sipkovich and Christian Navarro. Veteran set designer Wally Huntoon returns to establish the backdrop, with Robert Mumm designing the lighting and Susan Thomas Babb creating the costumes.

The Barnicles’ version of “The Liar” is, in Amen’s words, “a delightfully creative adaptation of Goldoni’s original play. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to produce this adaptation, which has only been seen in Orange County once before.”