Straight Faced Lies is a new play by Mark Jason Williams.
Part of The New York International Fringe Festival, Straight Faced Lies follows an extremely dysfunctional family on the day their father is supposed to return from jail. Starring Joey Collins, Dana Domenick, Geraldine Librandi, Cindy Marchionda, Jacob Thompson, and Curtis Wiley, playwright Mark Jason Williams uses his skills to explore every aspect of this erupting family, from unplanned pregnancies to sexual orientations. Although Director Andrew Block brought Williams play to life in a short, concise matter, the overall performance fell flat, due to a mixture of the directing, acting and writing.
In the first ten minutes of the play, nearly five plot twists occurred, leaving not only the actors but the audience confused as to where this play was going. At the end of the first act, the mother, played by Geraldine Librandi, pulled a gun on the family during dinner. As an audience member, this turn made sense, due to the overactive nature of the show. Not only was the writing overwhelming, but nearly every actor was exhausting to watch. No one listened to one another, and the relationships between each character felt extremely forced and fake. Curtis Wiley, who played Kip, was the only actor who added some light humor to the show. Though at times it was overplayed, I enjoyed his spirit.
Straight Faced Lies played at The New York International Fringe Festival on August 27th, 2015.
