REVIEW - THE GIRL WHO WAS VERY GOOD AT LYING

We’ve all told small white lies when we meet someone we like for the first time, I’m sure, but Catriona takes this to the extreme in Eoin McAndrew’s The Girl Who Was Very Good At Lying.

Catriona (Rachael Rooney) is a 21-year-old woman, who lives with her mum in Northern Ireland. Her mum collects signs that say things like ‘Live Laugh Love’, and asks her about her day, every day. But not in the normal way that most mums do – she must describe it in detail including what she had for breakfast.

Catriona works at the local pub and one day meets an American man there. She immediately develops a crush on him and offers to take him on a tour of the town, lying by saying she knows a lot about the history of her hometown.

As she takes the American on the tour, Catriona lies repeatedly, making up interesting stories of what happened within the town. He later admits to her that he’s married, something he conveniently forgot to mention up until this point.

The stage is empty except from two chairs, meaning the onus is entirely on Rooney and her storytelling abilities to captivate the audience. And Rooney is simply mesmerising, she doesn’t just hold the audience’s attention, but places them in the palm of her hand, I hung on to every word she uttered and remained on the edge of my seat throughout.

It is never really explained why Catriona is such a dab hand at lying, and the climax of her going to meet the American’s wife seemed an odd decision, and one I couldn’t entirely understand. But this strange ending to the story can be forgiven entirely by Rooney’s performance.

Rooney barely stops to draw in a breath throughout this hour-long performance. With her deadpan expression providing hilarity when she delivers comical lines. Rooney creates multiple distinct characters throughout the show, and it’s simply stunning to watch. This is one of the best one-person performances I have ever seen, Rooney is enthralling, and The Girl Who Was Very Good At Lying is a show you cannot miss.

{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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