LIE WITH ME by Intercultural Theatre Institute

“Lie”

Reviewer: Yong Yoke Kay
Performance: 9 November 2019 

Lie with Me is presented by the graduating students of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI). Written by Kaite O’Reilly and directed by Phillip Zarrilli, the piece explores the complex dynamics of modern-day relationships.

The characters in this work come from various backgrounds, including a migrant worker struggling to find employment, a high-ranking boss, a struggling artist, and a cleaner. This serves not only to display a variety of perspectives, it also highlights the universality of relationship dynamics explored in the play. None of us, regardless of sexual orientation, can avoid navigating the labyrinthine world of modern relationships.

The play opens with a movement phrase where the cast, dressed in nondescript jeans and t-shirts, lurch and stagger across the stage, seemingly devoid of feelings and consciousness. The bodies are numb and zombified, as if they are capable of only sleepwalking through life.

Subsequent movement phrases appear between each scene, setting the tone and serving as effective transitions. The music plays a major role, shaping the mood and delineating the trajectory.

The main storyline is divided into multiple dialogues, a daisy chain of interactions between eight characters that slowly reveal the ways in which their lives are intertwined. This structure highlights the actors’ nuanced portrayal of each character’s personality, and this reviewer is touched by the raw emotions bravely bared on stage. Particularly poignant is Wendy Toh’s character asking to be held by her lover (Jin Chen).

One major thread running throughout is the tendency of people to be selective with the stories they tell, much like how we curate our social media (or dating app!) profile. The precariousness of the self in modern society is examined closely, as characters get trapped in a swirling morass of truth and lies, twisted by the gravity of societal expectations, and pieced together with convoluted fragments of tales told to oneself and others.

Another universal theme explored is the human desire for touch and affection, and the various ways in which people satisfy this desire. Every character yearns to be caressed, not only by physical skin, but also by sweet words of seduction, by imagined happy endings, by hope. Confused between love and lust, they grasp at one another, caught up in a game where they push emotions and intimacy around like pieces on a board – sometimes manipulative, sometimes cynical, sometimes desperate.

One walks away from this production feeling overwhelmed, but strangely comforted by the fact that we are not alone in the struggles and trials of the complex world of relationships.