BWW Reviews: Finding the Truth - THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID - LIE

February 5th, amongst the cheering and hooting of the nerds in the next room at the Brink Lounge, was the 7th performance for a group of ladies in their monologue series entitled That's What She Said. Despite the pre-gaming for the Comic Con attendees, there were some powerful performance pieces going on in the cozy lounge.

That's What She Said as a collective performance, rather than the double entendre joke coined by Michael Scott, always has a thematic element. Each woman is given one word. No other direction, save for one word, is provided to focus their piece on. This makes for an evening of charming, enlightening, heartbreaking, and captivating works. Despite the theme, the women are wholeheartedly truthful - revealing parts of themselves for the sake of storytelling or perhaps for making a difference in the life of someone else. This raw emotion created a sense that made one feel as though the nine women on stage were your dearest friends.

That's what art is.

While introducing the performances, Molly Vanderlin of The Bricks Theatre stated, "I am honored by the women who accepted the challenge of doing this." As am I.

In that honor, so too for the integrity of what the show this time around stands for, it seems unfair to reveal the essence of the stories told. That may seem counterintuitive to anyone reading this for insight about whether the stories would pique their interest, but they are not my stories to tell.

The beauty of performance pieces such as the one put together by The Bricks Theatre is that they must be experienced first-hand. As seasoned actress Jessica Jane Witham stated in her piece, "I'm an actor - I lie for a living." While that may be a debatable point, what is true is that there is nothing more powerful than raw, unadulterated emotion. When an individual opens up and shares moments of emotion in any caliber its impact is far greater. That is why storytelling, particularly when it is done by the perpetrator of the story, can oftentimes be a far more difficult art form than acting.

You don't get to hide behind someone else's persona - and not a single woman did.

As the ensemble points out time and time again, lying is not always intentional, malicious, or wrong. Their stories are widely varied, carry different strengths, and connect audience members to (in some cases) complete strangers in an indescribable fashion.

Truth: You have one more chance to see these nine women shine at 8 pm on February 6th.

Lie: It shouldn't be on the top of your agenda.

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