Love story with a twist

Love never seems to have a shortage of stories to tell. Some tales are dark and destructive. Others have a frothy wackiness, but all explore the dynamics of relationships and what makes them tick.

Edmonton-based playwright Jocelyn Ahlf just spent two years developing The Liars with Shadow Theatre and this fast-paced comedy has its world premiere May 26 to June 13 at the Varscona Theatre.

“It’s the kind of play that will be picked up by other theatres once it’s out there,” says a confident John Hudson, artistic director of Shadow Theatre.

Hudson originally approached Ahlf about pitching a few ideas for play development. “Jocelyn is from the Stewart Lemoine school of writing. She’s a great sharp wit. She knows how to turn a phrase and she knows where the funny is.”

Ahlf has an extensive list of playwriting credits including Teatro La Quindicina’s big 2009 hit Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s and Panties Productions Sterling Award-winning Lobster Telephone. She also has co-writing credits on Burlesque, contributed to Northern Light’s Urban Tales and collaborated with Lemoine on A Momentary Lapse.

In The Liars Audrey (Lora Brovold) and Simon (Andrew MacDonald-Smith) are a fairly down-to-earth couple invited to dinner by Gaby (Shannon Blanchet) and Adam (David MacInnis), a more volatile couple. “Everything weird and wacky happens to Gaby and Adam. They live incredibly interesting lives, but you thank your lucky stars you’re not them.”

Audrey and Simon are told a far-fetched tale that Adam was upset with Gaby and locked her out of the house. That night she slept in the whale at West Edmonton Mall.

Audrey and Simon place their own relationship on a precarious ledge when they bet whether the story is true or false. “Things knot up as a good farce should. Because of the bet and the raised stakes, it rattles their own relationship.”

Blanchet’s Gaby is the catalyst for action, a woman with an aura of nuttiness around her. “She has great energy. She blazes full force. She’s a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off.”

Brovold’s Audrey instead is the moral centre of the play. Audrey is a fairly stable accountant and lives vicariously through her friend. And MacDonald-Smith’s Simon is a solid, witty match for Audrey, but his skepticism of Gaby starts driving a wedge in their relationships.

And finally, former St. Albert martial arts instructor David MacInnis’ Adam is the stereotypical hot-tempered monosyllabic policeman. His life with Gaby is a non-stop round of bickering and makeup sex followed by more fighting and sex. “They have one thing they’re really good at.”

Fact or fiction, “If you like good, funny, fast comedy, this is the play to see.”