EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: THE GREATEST LIAR IN ALL THE WORLD, Pleasance Courtyard, August 8 2014

Based loosely on the fairy tale Pinocchio, The Greatest Liar In All The World promises a dark twist on a classic. It is the last performance of The Greatest Liar In All The World as the theatre is closing. Pinocchio wants to begin with a death-defying magic trick but the other show people encourage him to tell the truth about his life.

We are told that the original story of Geppeto carving a boy out of a block of wood is not entirely true. In actual fact, Pinocchio had a mother, who began an affair with a tree. The tree didn't stick around and when his mother gave birth to a wooden puppet boy she abandoned him and he was taken in by the carpenter. The carpenter encourages him that if he has a problem then he should just lie his way out of it. Pinocchio gets himself into some scrapes and is always rescued by a blue haired girl who he falls in love with but who vanishes as soon as he is safe.

The Greatest Liar In All The World is a charming and inventive story. It is darker in some places than I expected but that was one of the best things about it. The storytelling is captivating and the style of the play is excellent. There is physical comedy, puppetry, shadow puppets and narration to move the story along. I couldn't help but feel that there was maybe more to be told and that this could develop into a longer piece.

The Greatest Liar In All The World runs at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25th.