Review: 'Volpone or The Fox' a robust, merry farce

NEW YORK (AP) — Greed that overreaches and causes its own undoing is the primary target of Ben Jonson’s 1606 satire, “Volpone.” Considering the ongoing global financial crisis, it’s clear that classic theater can remain eerily relevant even after 400 years.

Jonson was an English Renaissance poet and playwright considered an equal to his contemporary, William Shakespeare. His acerbic social satire is being performed in a robust, mirthful production by Red Bull Theater titled “Volpone, or The Fox” that opened Sunday night off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in the West Village.