Written and Performed by Tom Moran

To describe Tom Moran as charismatic is a disservice – he goes beyond that, almost saccharine in how honest his craic is and how easily he finds rapport with the audiences before him. But that’s what liars do, especially those lying to themselves. The mask presented to us is one of comedy, wielded well by Moran before removing it to allow us a deeper look at the struggles he’s holding deep beneath that smiling surface.

A self-described people pleaser, Moran burns out his batteries being a perfect son, a perfect partner, and a perfect friend. No one is that perfect. All the while, he just wanted to be seen for who he really was – the main issue being that Moran buried himself so deep in falsehoods that he doesn’t even really know himself. And it cost him his appendix, and a whole lot more.

There’s a blending of boundaries here between the stand-up elements and the theatrical – something Moran needs to either embrace and run with, or re-structure. Currently, it causes jitters and brief moments of slog as we transition between the two, the transitions a touch jarring: the audience interaction of “give us a cheer if…” takes a bit longer than it needs to work, as the audience seems confused about if they’re in a theatre show and it’s rhetorical, or its comedy and they’re about to be picked on…

There are plenty of humorous moments, but not enough to sustain an entire comedy routine. Similarly, the theatrical elements are powerful and poignant as Moran confronts eating disorders, and body image and provides a sense of catharsis. When Moran gets frank, and the lighting tightens around him, the show excels as a gorgeously intimate sequence of monologues, almost an internal voice as his lies spiral further into self-destruction.

The strength of the show is in Moran himself, but it seems difficult for the self-identifying liar to separate and trust himself wholly with the nature of the show; unsure if it wants to be a comedy or a heavy piece of theatre. But what it is, is promising, with a strong and likeable performer behind it all. It’s something to be proud of, a step on a much longer journey for Moran and his lies.