As part of our Meet the Cast of The Liar Blog Series, let us introduce you to JuCoby Johnson:
ROLES: Alcippe, Clarice’s secret fiancé
DESCRIPTIVE LINES ABOUT ALCIPPE IN THE PLAY:
(Said by Clarice about Alcippe)
So let him spew. My lover’s lava’s nothing new.
Two years now we’ve been secretly engaged–
And he’s the one who’s chronically enraged?
Oh, very well.
CAST QUESTION:
You have done a lot of Shakespeare. How difficult is the wordplay in The Liar in comparison? (For example, you have one line that starts with: “O faithless, fickle, fraudulent play.”)
The wordplay in The Liar is very similar to that used in Shakespeare. I would say that the biggest similarity is the speed in which the language has to go in order for the jokes to land. If you can get the language to be fast and light while still holding onto the clarity, you’ve won half the battle. Within that lies the biggest difficulty. If it’s all fast and light, but lacking in clarity, the audience gets sick of it very quickly. You have to find a way to tell the story clearly and crisply at a faster pace than may seem comfortable. It takes a lot of trust in your fellow actors and a strong familiarity with the text.
CAST BACKGROUND:
Park Square Debut Representative Theatre Ten Thousand Things: Dear World; Mu Performing Arts: You for Me for You; New Epic Theater: The Normal Heart; Great River Shakespeare Festival: As You Like It Training B.F.A., Acting, University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program Upcoming Projects Ten Thousand Things: Pericles; Theater Latté Da: Six Degrees of Separation
Area Premiere of The Liar – Park Square Theatre’s Proscenium Stage – September 9 to October 2