The Great Lover Bets the House

Like a swaggering adolescent who never quite grew up, the flamboyant French Duke de Richelieu wagers his friends—and wagers big—that he can seduce the very next woman to walk through the door. Not just any woman, mind you—she must be beautiful. When the radiant Gabrielle De Bille-Isle steps across the threshold, Alexandre Dumas’s The Great Lover springs to life. The play is now onstage at the Robey Theatre in downtown Los Angeles through November 9.

Best known for his enduring novels The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo, the French-Haitian Dumas was one of the most prolific writers in history—author of more than 650 works. He first presented The Great Lover in 1836 to great acclaim in Paris. Part drawing-room comedy, part costume drama, the play skewers the frivolity and decadence of 18th-century French aristocracy.

Left: CJ Obilom, Tiffany Coty-Goines • Right: Jenny Cadena (l.), Tiffany Coty-Goines, Dane Gbrayes

Julio Hanson delivers a dazzling turn as the Duke, a seasoned libertine certain of his own charm and conquests. Opposite him, Nigerian-American actress CJ Obilom brings a luminous innocence to Gabrielle, the object of his latest wager. But, as in all good theatre, obstacles soon multiply.

The first comes in the form of the Duke’s former lover—at least one of them—the imperious Marquise de Prie (Tiffany Coty-Goines), who appoints herself the guardian of Gabrielle’s virtue. Whether driven by revenge or residual desire, her crusade to protect the young woman adds both fire and intrigue.

Complicating matters further, Gabrielle is engaged to the gallant Lieutenant Sevran (Jermaine Alexander), who unwittingly eggs on the Duke’s reckless bet, never imagining the “first woman through the door” would be his own fiancée.

Misunderstandings, overheard confessions, and sparkling repartee propel the story toward a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Though costume dramas like this fall outside our usual orbit of contemporary social-justice theatre, the brisk direction and uniformly strong performances make The Great Lover a delight worth indulging.

Top: Josh Bruce, Kermit C. Burns, Talmadge Talib • Bottom: Jason Mimms , Julio Hanson •

The Robey Theatre Company, The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown LA. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 pm, Sundays, 3 pm, added matinee Sat., November 8; through November 9. Running time: 100 minutes without intermission.