Review: Delighting in Deception at Capital Fringe's PERFECT LIARS CLUB

For those who think they can easily spot a liar (especially in this city), PERFECT LIARS CLUB returns to Capital Fringe Festival and offers an opportunity to pick one out of a lineup. The show includes four storytellers who each present a personal tale that seems stranger than fiction. Only three are telling the truth, and it's the audience's job to scrutinize the facts and expose the liar.

The run of performances at Fringe consists of five original shows, each with a different cast and a new round of stories. The performance I attended featured a range of funny accounts: facing copyright issues when starting a DC improv theater; looking for love in Los Angeles when things turned dangerous; joining a secret comedy society at a religious Texas college; and introducing a lesbian girlfriend to a quirky grandma with dementia.

After being drawn into the narratives, it was time for audience members to "interrogate" the group. Energetic host Pierce McManus, assisted by Cara Foran, led a Q&A session in which some questions were inevitably much better than others; the effectiveness and entertainment level depends on the unique audience. The show ended in a surprisingly close vote. Even though my group failed the challenge, finding out the liar was ultimately cathartic and worth the feeling that we'd been deceived. In fact, it was a little addictive - and might be worth a repeat visit to the Perfect Liars Clubhouse.

Running time: approximately 80 minutes without an intermission.

PERFECT LIARS CLUB plays through July 20 with three more performances left at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Meeting Room A:5, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.capitalfringe.org.

Photo: PERFECT LIARS CLUB promotional image.