Indiana Repertory TheatreThe Ladies Man

Mistaken identities permeate
French farce The Ladies Man

Ever tell a little white lie in order not to hurt someone, only to see that lie snowball and snowball until it’s a full-blown whiteout?

If so, you’ll definitely be able to relate to Indiana Repertory Theatre’s The Ladies Man.

The lie originates with Dr. Hercule Molineaux, who is married to a woman, Yvonne, probably at least 20 years his junior. Yvonne suspects Hercule of cheating based on the fact that he didn’t come home one night, instead spending the night on a park bench in the rain. Come to find out, Dr. Molineaux paid a visit to Moulin Rouge that night to see a woman Yvonne dubs a “vile trollop.”

To appease Yvonne, Dr. Molineaux tells her he spent the night caring for a patient with a rare disease. The patient, he says, will not make it. We hear a knock on the door, and it’s the patient with the rare and “deadly” disease.


That’s a microcosm of the entire production. Lies and actions are misinterpreted, identities are mistaken, and the lives of everyone involved –– including Yvonne’s mother, the “vile trollop” and her husband, Dr. Molineaux’s patient and the Molineauxs’ wait staff –– are intertwined in ways that unfold throughout.

My only complaint is The Ladies Man is, at times, tiring to follow. I felt myself inwardly groaning at times, especially in the second act, because I knew with each new lie told or action misinterpreted, the story would get only more complicated. There are also a lot of slamming doors in The Ladies Man, so I wouldn’t recommend going with a headache.

Despite that, it’s a fun look at what can happen when even the best-intended white lie spirals out of control.

The Ladies Man continues through March 22. Tickets are $29-$49 for adults and $19 for students and kids 18 and younger. (I would recommend the show only for mature adolescents because it contains a few sex-related double entendres.) Call (317) 635-5252 or log on www.irtlive.com.

by Laura Kruty