FringeNYC 2013: Lies We Tell Ourselves (when flamethrowers aren't enough)
Gabe is freaking out. The wedding is moments away and he needs answers fast. Friends and lovers come to life in a circle of memories to grapple with betrayals, serendipity, and courage. Also, flame-throwers. The past can be undone.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Case Aiken · August 13, 2013
After a lifetime of exposure to pop culture and stories about heroes and triumphs, it’s hard for anyone to deal with the realization that they are not the hero of their own story. Lies We Tell Ourselves (When Flamethrowers Aren’t Enough), a show in this year’s New York International Fringe Festival, attempts to investigate such a scenario.
Gabe (Rich Dreher), seems to be a romantic lead at first, reflecting on his complicated love life and attempting to frame everything as plot devices from movies (the title itself is a reference to the movie True Romance). The play is set within his mind as he freaks out before a wedding, where apparitions of his friends and lovers berate him. Over the course of the play however, it comes out that his failures may have been the root of everyone else’s success. Despite Gabe’s firm desire to be a movie protagonist, he is merely a supporting role in the story of how his best friend Parker (Luke Forbes) finds true love with Gabe’s ex-girlfriend, Willa (Melisa Breiner-Sanders). While there are a few hiccups, I came out of the Player’s Theatre very satisfied.
This is a play that clearly has a lot of thought put into it, though perhaps not as thoroughly refined as it could be (this is FringeNYC after all). Fun interactions with the on stage musician and meta-references to diegetic music are certainly well placed. The character of Meghan (Anne Marie Vick), however, is only in the piece to act as a foil. While a delightful character, her role doesn’t advance the main plot, but is rather there to draw attention away from it for better or worse. In one sense, she could be the literary equivalent of a magician misdirecting their audience so that a coin trick will come off as seamless, or she could be leftover from a draft where her role was more vital.
Lighting by Isabella F. Byrd worked well to establish the shifts from the void of thought to the specific flashbacks. Jason Bruffy directed a solid production of Josh Sohn’s script. Also, special mention must be made of Luke Forbes’ Parker, in what was a fantastic and chamring performance. This is a very good show. I was quite pleased with everyone’s efforts in putting this play together and I recommend it to anyone looking for a solid work.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Lies We Tell Ourselves (when flamethrowers aren't enough)
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
Theater Beats Movies · jabruffy (Director)
- What things does live theater allow you to do that you can’t do in movies?
Ah, the age old question of Theatre and Film. Well, what makes going to a concert more exciting than an audio file or what makes a ball game more alive than watching it on TV? It all starts with a live audience and live performer. On stage, as opposed to film I can engage an active imagination. Beautiful words, talented actors, and imaginative designers can take us (an audience and a director) on a journey to the far reaches of the world and the endless depths of a mind. All of these things I can say are true of this play "Lies We Tell Ourselves." - Are there boundaries as to what kind of theatre you will take part in?
No. Ha! Is that answer simple and concise enough? Working in both the stage and film worlds, there is little I find myself not in some way drawn to. On stage I began my career in regional theaters and Shakespeare festivals. Arguably it is my adoration for shakes and the classics that informs my every move as a contemporary director. I have worked in musical theatre and new play development with wonderful companies both in New York and around the country, but what always draws me in is the telling of a unique and visceral story to an audience. That kinetic energy you cannot find anywhere else. - Is there a particular moment in this show that you really love or look forward to? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why does it jazz you?
Of course! There are so many moments to look forward to both within the audience response and the actors' creation. We have the ability within Lies to venture into the recesses of memory for all the vivid nostalgic beauty and torture that it can bring us. If I had to bring a singular moment to mind it would have to be when Gabe (the character of whose mind we fall into) steps out into the abyss and how the stage can tell a story in ways that cinema cannot reach an audience. And from every memory he revisits till the end, the actors (with the support of music, sound, lights and design) journey long reaching distances. - Is your directing style more like Hitchcock, Spielberg, Woody Allen, or Ed Wood?
Now that is a question. Though I have a soft spot for each... I would have to say none of the four (cheap I know, so I will give you an answer). Hitchcock for his brilliant use of time and belief in the imagination of the audience. Allen for his support of amazing talent, character and timing. Spielberg for his not-so-seceret love of history and the stories we learn from our own. Finally, Wood, for his shear joy for the craft. - If you could get advice about directing this show from one director (living or dead), who would it be, and why?
Within "Lies We Tell Ourselves" we both discuss and play homage to two great cinematic director/writers: Wes Anderson (Life Aquatic) and Quentin Tarantino (True Romance). And though these are both directors that I adore and admire greatly, I would have to say for this piece I'd like to talk to either Sam Mendes or Darren Aronofsky. Sam Mendes for his ability to do both theatre and film on the most glorious of productions; He has an ability to tell a story through moments and interactions both spoken and unspoken, and in the simplest of terms. He understands clearly the drama of human emotion and interaction, while keeping us riveted to our seats. Aronofsky, surprisingly, for much of the same reasons. Though not a stage director in credit, he is sincerely one at heart. His ability to utilize time and pacing, color and light, and supporting his actors to epic performances. His worlds are clear and vivid in both the beauty and darkness that we all hold.
All About My Show · Josh Sohn (Writer)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
references Seu Jorge, flamethrowers and false memory. - What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
Lies We Tell Ourselves is about the way we recolor our past. We all have our narratives as to why things happened and what's worth regretting -- this show meets that debate head-on. What if two people remember a single moment in time in opposite ways? To whom does that moment belong? Who gets to adjudicate the conflicting accounts? Also, flamethrowers. - Why did you want to write this show?
I was wrestling with getting older and making many of the same mistakes I'd made in my 20s. And struggling with a not-so-wonderful habit I have of searching for answers to weighty life questions in action movies. More than that though, I was interested in exploring the question of courage. What makes someone courageous? Is it revealing things? Or receiving life and triumph and trauma in a dignified, graceful fashion? Or lighting people on fire with flamethrowers? Okay, I admit it, I really wanted to make people laugh. But also feel something real. - Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
There've been 3 readings of this play since its inception two plus years ago. Those amazing actors who volunteered their precious time were absolutely instrumental in guiding the revisions. I mean, I've got voices in my head, but nothing like the incredible actors who read these characters along the way. Also talk-backs. Brutal, but essential to the rewrites. But two folks stand above the rest: MD for his unending wisdom and creativity on how to craft this piece into something exceptional. And CM. For who she is. For her passion. For her shine. For believing in this play - in me - when no one else did. - Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
Easy - Puck. And not just because he's a pain in the ass. Because of the ambiguity regarding his level of intention. Throughout Lies We Tell Ourselves, characters needle one another mercilessly, yes, but there's also a debate within the piece about whether we should be held accountable for pain we didn't willfully inflict. When does everything stop being funny? When must we actually sit down and figure out what happened and what, if anything, it means? This is the play. The central question of Lies We Tell Ourselves (when flamethrowers aren't enough).
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