Tehran – The Simoog Theater in Tehran hosts the play “Lies” written for five days by French novelist and playwright Florian Zerer.
Mohamad Ghavam is the director and producer of 80 minutes of play, performing alongside Donya Bakhtiari, Fatemeh Zarei and Amirali Taran. The play will take place from September 1st to 5th.
In “The Lie,” a companion to Zeller’s previous play “The Truth,” a married couple invited another married couple to dinner. They are best friends. However, things get complicated as the hostess believes she finds her friend’s husband kissing another woman on the street. She wants to cancel the dinner because she feels she has to tell her the truth to her friends. However, her husband tries to convince her that it is necessary to tell lies in life and hide the truth as a sign of love and taku, and that it is pointless to be involved in the lives of others.
This ethical moral dilemma quickly evolves into a wild labyrinth of fraud, truth and lies. The latter is no longer an issue. What really matters is the trust that someone you love will lose when you catch them lying. This is why the play is resolved with peace of mind. Both couples decided to reestablish mutual trust despite the diverse facts. Or, in one of the main characters’ words, if anyone tells the truth to everyone, then no one in this world will tell anyone anymore.
“The Lie” took its world premiere in English at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London in September 2017.
Zeller, 44, is a French novelist, playwright, theater director, screenwriter and film director. He has written more than dozens of plays performed around the world, making him one of the most famous modern playwrights.
His works have been translated into 12 languages, including English and Persian. He won Prix Interallié in 2004 for his novel “The Evil of Charm.”
Zeller has received the most prestigious French and international playwriting awards, including the Molière Award and the Laurence Olivier Award.
In his plays, Zeller tackles themes of lies and truth. Most often, he tries to solve an eternal dilemma within a family circle that is most open and unacceptable to accept the truth. However, in many cases, families tend to be exposed to lies and deceptions. In today’s world, people are intentionally flooded by social networks by the spread of fake news, allowing individuals to achieve political goals and acquire social influences. The truth is becoming increasingly more and more relative not only in metaphysical, Rashmon-like meaning, but also objectively. Facts are forged and lies are circulating.
Zerra’s plays have always been viewed by Iranian directors. Famous theatrical director Urbando Dashtarei performed Zerer’s acclaimed psychological drama “Father” in 2022, along with famous actors such as Rezakainian, Leilirisiddi, Said Changiangian, Sogor Halik, Behazad Karimi, Najivasa Hebazamanai, Dutch Ace Maleen Van Hork and Dashhan Hork.
Starring Pantea Bahram and Pejman Jamshidi on Zeller’s Play “The Mother” was performed in 2019 at Tehran’s Iranshahr Theater Complex.
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