LYING

In ‘LYING’ two children, Eva and Zakaria, get lost on their way to the baker’s. Their quest to find their way back home turns into a complicated journey because of the lies they tell in order to get out of tricky situations. Their lies are given a literal form in the story: each time they lie a white balloon appears on stage, while a giant bouncy castle burgeons in the background. At a certain point, the lie itself becomes a character, The Lie, who both challenges and helps Eva and Zakaria to come up with new fibs and excuses.

The play helps to show how lies are created by uncertainty, the wish to avoid punishment, or simply in order to make reality more bearable. Eva and Zakaria try to find their way back, but only become more entangled in their own stories. The interaction between the characters is playful and at times moving, and lying is not only presented as something negative but also as a creative force that adds colour to life. Besides the themes of lying and being truthful, the play also explores such things as feeling scared, friendship and the wish to be understood. Ultimately ‘LYING’ explores what honesty really means, why people sometimes lie, and how to find your way home – literally and figuratively.