Off the Shelf Presents: Dear Liar

Dear Liar essentially dramatizes the romance of famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and Mrs Patrick Campbell, a popular English stage actress of the 1900s. Based on their written correspondence over a staggering period of 40 years, the play recreates the intriguing relationship they shared, personally, as well as professionally.

The play unfolds through a reading of secret letters, exchanged by Shaw (Tim Hoban) and Campbell (Casi Wilkerson) and reveals a volatile yet tender love affair, much like AR Gurney’s Love Letters. While the love story is the main premise of this play, what’s interesting is that it also gives you a peak of life back then. For theatre aficionados, this drama is a treat, as it transports you back to the 19th and 20th centuries, giving a taste of English and American society — how Shaw got Campbell to star as Eliza Doolittle in his Pygmalion, the way he terrorized her during play rehearsals or Campbell’s silly indulgences with her white Pekingese, Moonbeam! You witness many fascinating, behind-the-scenes tidbits. There are funny and endearing parts in the play, like when Campbell grudgingly rehearses for the part of Doolittle in her cockney accent, as Shaw keeps crossly interjecting. And there are emotional scenes too, like when they exchange letters about Campbell’s son, who is killed in the war and Shaw’s narration of his mother’s funeral and cremation.