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Lie Low review: A tense investigation of the effects of trauma

Dublin Fringe Festival 2022: Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s dark play illuminates the grey areas in the darkness

Lie Low. Photograph: Ciara Elizabeth Smyth and Evan Flynn
Lie Low. Photograph: Ciara Elizabeth Smyth and Evan Flynn

Lie Low

Project Arts Centre (Cube Space)
★★★★☆

“It started with the nightmares.” Faye, played by Charlotte McCurry, cannot sleep. A year ago she was attacked in her home, and now she is searching for answers. With the help of her brother Naoise, played by Michael Patrick, she sets out to overcome her fear in an unconventional way.

Lie Low plays with boundaries, and it does so with care and intelligence. Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s sharp writing is complemented by simple yet effective design. Ciaran Bagnall’s lighting conjures the dark moments of Faye’s unravelling, highlighting for the audience the porous and unpredictable reality of trauma. This, coupled with Denis Clohessy’s soundscape, ensures that the performance’s potent surrealism is maintained.

Dublin Fringe Festival: The shows to catch in 2022Opens in new window ]

In Lie Low there is an overpowering sense of entrapment. But who exactly is being entrapped remains to be seen. This short production creates a breathless and relentless tension that is sustained by McCurry and Patrick’s powerfully physical performances.

Amid the grapple for answers, it is clear that in this struggle for power and truth, everyone will remain in the dark.

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Runs at Project Arts Centre, Dublin 2, until Saturday 17th September, as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival