Liar
Written By: Brian Drader
Synopsis: “Drader creates characters that work like nesting dolls, each opening up to reveal fresh facets until we reach the pearl of truth at the centre.” Winnipeg Sun
“Drader has threaded many of his favorite themes through LIAR in what is his most artful and accessible work yet.” Winnipeg Free Press
LIAR examines the power and influence of human interaction, the perils of assumption, and the nature of truth. Mark is a young man who is anything you want him to be, a chameleon. He can be a friend, lover, thief, or confidante – but could he be a murder? Jeremy meets Mark in a gay bar, and, shortly after, the two men end up on a rooftop of an office building where Jeremy mysteriously falls to his death. But did he jump, did he fall, or was he pushed? After the “accident”, Jeremy’s estranged sister befriends Mark, hoping to establish a relationship with the person she assumes is her brother’s lover. Effortlessly gaining her confidence, he insinuates himself into her life and her home. At first her husband resists Mark’s charms, but soon he too is brought under the spell of the mysterious drifter. Mark charms both into telling him their secrets and revealing their inner lives, with shocking results.
History: Canadian and American productions, translated into French.
Availability: Feb 2003 workshop draft in MAP archives. Published by Scirocco. Copy in MAP library. Contact the author or Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Running Time (mins): 76-120
Cast: 3M / 1F
Genres: Drama