All the Things I Lied About at Summerhall

All the Things I Lied About is an impressively honest monologue that discusses whether humanity is able to live in a world of pure honesty, and why we are met with cognitive dissonance when we try to. Katie Bonna’s personal story, following the “TED Commandments” becomes the audience’s own as they are spurred to the edges of their seats in a dynamic, interactive and thought-provoking hour.

Bonna bravely performs in the round, a feat made more impressive by the bold intimacy of her words. From the start, the audience are at ease with her opening up about her father’s infidelities in a tasteful balance between observation and personal reaction, and are left in thoughtful anticipation as she poses the initial question “Are we in a post-truth society?” The performer unpicks her way through the “patchwork” of lies she realises we create on a daily basis with her “liary” and gives her listeners no choice but to involuntarily find themselves relating, laughing and then questioning their own verbal falsity, all in the roller coaster of about a minute. Bonna’s material is not only interesting, but beautifully written: mellifluous without being verbose, she draws ideas together and neatly folds them into sense as skillfully as any official TED speaker.

The technical aspect of the show is similarly brilliant, cleverly juxtaposed to fall into the fabric of the performance as Bonna, beginning a long soliloquy while the lights are dimmed and the smoke machine fired up, stops and shouts to Tom the technician to cut the ambience away. The audience is brutally restored to the warm light of pre-set – a clever reminder that lies are always present, and that truth is stranger than fiction. One can only agree with her conclusion that perhaps honesty is a choice, and that our lies are implicit.

With a constant myriad of expression from every seat in the venue, All the Things I Lied About is innovative and honest in its material, unparalleled in its performance and unmissable in its charm.

Daisy McConnel

All the Things I Lied About is on at Roundabout @ Summerhall from 10^th until 28^th August 2016, for further information or to book visit here.