A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The White Liars

Short Play, Dark Comedy  /  1w, 2m

Peter Shaffer

"Farce with a capital F." - Christian Science Monitor

The White Liars

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    30 minutes

Details

Summary
The White Liars depicts a fateful encounter between a down-and-out fortune teller, a rock musician, and his agent. The agent bribes Baroness Lemberg to fake some hocus-pocus over a crystal ball, ostensibly to discourage the musician from pursuing his girlfriend. The trickery entangles each of them in a dense web of mendacity. 

Published in tandem with Black Comedy

History

The White Liars premiered at the Lyric Theatre in London in February 1968 under the direction of Peter Wood.

Keywords
Performing Groups
SOPHIE, BARONESS LEMBERG - a fortune teller
FRANK - Tom's manager
TOM - a musician
  • Time Period New Millennium/21st Century
  • Setting A fortune teller's parlor on the pier of a run-down seaside resort on the south coast of England.
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 30 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

REVIEWS

"Farce with a capital F." - Christian Science Monitor

"A tour de force." - New York Newsday

"A lot of fun." - The New Yorker

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $75 per performance
    $125 with other plays in collection
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Authors

Peter Shaffer

Peter Shaffer

Sir Peter Shaffer, in full, Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (1926-2016), was a British playwright of considerable range who moved easily from farce to the portrayal of human anguish.

Educated at St. Paul’s and Trinity College, Cambridge, Shaffer first worked for a music publisher and ...

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