Pack of Lies

This could be billed as a cold war thriller or a kitchen sink drama: it actually is a story, a true one at that, of very ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The slow burning nature of the drama builds the tension so steadily you almost don’t notice it, until you suddenly realise you’re holding your breath. It’s a story that doesn’t seem as if it should capture the audience, yet it does, as it’s crafted so brilliantly, as well as the story being fascinating. 

The set is the Jackson’s home, in the early 1960s, and is in every way an example of a typical, ordinary middle class home. Everything in the set is appropriate to the time, even the style of the sofa. They make full use of the outside wings of the stage as well with drinks sideboard and kitchen pantry cupboard. Stage right is the kitchen and stage left is the living room and despite the small size of the stage, the split it works really well: including the kitchen window and living room windows looking out to their respective outsides. Through the centre parted back wall is a wall mounted telephone of the era and stairs to ‘upstairs’ as well as a hallway to the front door, where there’s often action through voices coming in and out of the house.  

The play lives in the relationships created and all of these are shown well. The Jacksons are a believable couple and so are the contrasting Krogers; it’s also easy to believe the daughter Julie is close with Helen Kroger and clashing with her mother. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is the friendship between the beige Barbara and the shiny and bright Helen who couldn’t be more chalk and cheese, however, you genuinely believe their friendship. Veronica Brooks’ Barbara is secretly lonely and very closed off emotionally, probably even from herself, which is really interesting. She plays it with super authenticity, becoming more and more anxious as the plot develops. Sara Jessop is wonderful as the carefree Helen, owning any room she’s in but not taking over. She’s the friend that Barbara needs. Her ease with the other people, shown by her lounging and throwing herself on the furniture at one point, is super.  

The contrasting costuming of Barbara and Helen is shown really well. The two surveillance women are also slightly differently dressed showing how they are ‘working women’ compared to the other two. All the costumes are mostly in keeping with the period. The underscore and choice of music for some of the direct address pieces was a lovely touch. Some of the scene changes seemed quite long, and it could have benefitted from more pace in some parts of the play. There is a standout moment where Bob wordlessly offers Barbara a drink: it’s so subtle, and he knows exactly what she wants. It speaks to a relationship that is over a decade – perhaps two decades – in length, with that familiar knowing that a simple gesture can convey. This is a superb addition, and a thing of beauty.  

This is a really interesting look at relationships and what exactly we expect from them, forcing us to look at our values and our loyalties. What exactly is a lie? Some would say saying an explicit untruth is a lie, whereas others, like Barbara, would say that any withholding of truth is a lie. Barbara’s journey in this play is a fascinating one, jarring and eventually going against her values so much against her will that she becomes increasingly ill. Yet when you consider that Helen, her otherwise trusted confidant, is by Barbara’s standards lying in at least equal measure yet Barbara only wants to judge herself harshly not her friend: it becomes a complex study of human nature and what it means to have a close friendship as well as a specific moral code. And we are able to think all these deep thought-provoking thoughts because of the way the actors have portrayed it all, and the gentle direction from Helen Hardwick who wisely lets the material speak for itself rather than imposing fanciful notions on it, which is exactly what this play needs. Many congratulations to everyone involved in a genuinely thought-provoking production.  

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