One could argue that theatre is a divine art of sorts—one that allows expression of creativity, opinions, and beauty—and one of the best fruits of theatre has to be comedic theatre. Comedy is a versatile and fun form of expression that gives playwrights and actors freedom, while also helping the audience understand the characters and the time period the story reflects. Recently, Buena Vista High School’s theatre department put on a one-act play called “An Absolutely True Story Told by a Bunch of Lying Liars,” with students acting as the characters. It was a funny and lighthearted play that truly captivated the audience due to its storyline and the actors’ performances.
The plot follows a family arguing over who broke a vase. As the story continues, more lies about how the vase was broken come to light—each one more unique, interesting, and chaotic than the last—until an unlikely character, the family dog, reveals the truth with help from their neighbor, who can communicate with animals. The uniqueness of the plot is only amplified by the actors, who did a splendid job portraying emotions like anger and bringing each lie to life. I went to this play, and I only have positive things to say.
First, the performance quality. The actors did an amazing job with their characters. From the character obsessed with love triangles—better described as love hexagons—to the infamous Nutella Man, the play is packed with hilarious and memorable characters. If the actors hadn’t committed so fully to their roles, I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much. As for the lies told throughout the show, each one was more amusing than the last. From the children giving varying yet similar scenarios, to the friends creating over-the-top telenovela-style moments full of new love interests, the lies were constantly laugh-inducing.
I would absolutely recommend checking out this play. Writing alone cannot convey the craziness, surrealist lies, acting choices, and wild scenarios that make this show so fun to watch—and it’s best experienced with as few spoilers as possible. Since this group of talented actors has another showcase coming up and will compete at district finals, I only wish them the best in the future. If you want an upbeat, surreal, and hilarious performance to watch, I highly recommend this play. It was one of the best I’ve seen.
