Lies of a Promiscuous Woman

Darker Bright Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

I walked into the show with no real idea of what to expect and left feeling… everything. I laughed, I raged, I despaired, I cried and still left inspired. They managed to take a heavy topic and make it…marketable? Theresa has the kind of voice that was designed for storytelling and a knack for saturating lines with so much emotion you can’t help but feel it in your bones. It was a beautifully done show with some really fantastic acting, if you haven’t seen it yet I highly encourage you to go. Easily one of the best performances I have seen in a very long time.

Sarah Leighton

Lies of a Promiscuous Woman

Darker Bright Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

Lies of a Promiscuous Woman is a narrative of feeling: what it feels like to be gifted by your parents to serve at the Temple at age three; what it feels like to fall in love; what it feels like to give birth to a beautiful baby; what it feels like to hold his lifeless body in your arms. The powerful feelings ground Mary’s story in the real, the visceral, the universal, while also drawing in biblical references and songs from Madonna to create a dialogue between the historical tragedy of a mother losing her son and a modern world that still sees young women as disposable.

Thomson’s second turn as Mary brings an extra edge: she carries the fiery defiance of one who has faced harassment and attempted silencing, and refused. This dimension gives Mary bite; her simmering righteous rage gives weight to her declarations that we all matter, the hope matters, and belief in the extreme is always dangerous. The Madonna chorus does a beautiful job to amplify the message, as does Koreen’s turn as a young woman seeking Mary’s intervention.

The weight of such a sorrowful story is balanced perfectly with Thomson’s wit, as cheeky jokes and one-liners gild the story, giving us respite and release to laugh and cry at a mother’s story of love and loss. We can remember that we can talk about politics and religion, but we shouldn’t take it all too seriously.

Christina Fawcett

Lies of a Promiscuous Woman

Darker Bright Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

The desperate young woman who would come to be known as The Virgin Mary addresses the audience with “a proclamation” and shares her life story intimately yet powerfully. This “what if” tale is skillfully shared by Theresa Thomson, seasoned Fringe actor, writer and producer (31 Fringe shows in 26 years). The harrowing story’s tension is graciously lifted by humorous and sometimes stinging asides. Maggie Koreen portrays a young girl’s heart-breaking life struggles as Mary looks on lovingly but unable to come to her aid.

The whole production is framed by solid professional choral work of “cantors” Christopher Dunn and Carlyn Graff-Czehryn who bring timely Madonna lyrics into focus.

Hold on to your heart at the nativity and the crucifixion. This important work restores faith in whatever you believe.

Barbara Fawcett

Lies of a Promiscuous Woman

Darker Bright Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

No one likes talking about politics, the problem is that politics ends up happening to you whether you like it or not. Back from its controversial 2014 run featuring protests and effigies, lies of a promiscuous woman tells the story of the Virgin Mary, and how she ended up creating a God to spite the God that did so much to fail her. Stories always end up so much bigger than we expect, lies grow out of our control, and it’s always so difficult to keep things pure in the face of a world demanding the worst from us.

The writing is piercingly sharp, the humour well placed to defuse the tension, and the message is as timely as it could get. If you’ve ever asked yourself what went wrong for us to end up like this, this is as good a place to start as any.

Josh Fidelak