Camouflaged behind rip-roaring humour is a tale of deceit and infidelity. Though the lies look straightforward to begin with, in a while you find yourself out of depth. Who is lying, and who is telling the truth? Is there even a single version of the truth?
Written by Florian Zeller and directed by Lindsay Posner, this is the story of two cheating couples. Michel is having an affair with Alice, his best friend Paul’s wife. As seen in several other similar setups, the woman is emotionally attached and wants to spend more time together, while the man is in it only for the physical connection and cannot see anything lacking in the arrangement as it is – hotel room rendezvous between meetings.
Things begin to go awry when Alice is struck by a case of guilty conscience. She is haunted by the feeling that her husband knows and wants to come clean. Which is certainly not something Michel wants. Michel’s wife Laurence, meanwhile, seems to be not entirely in the dark; she tests out his alibis, each question driving him deeper into traps.
And then Michel has the worst Monday in his life. Wires are crossed, some truths are revealed, a tennis match is conceded. Michel learns that while he thought he had let Paul win, Paul had been letting Michel win for more than a year. And that, as it turns out, is only the tip of the iceberg.
The humour is on point and never dragged out. As is the play – snappy at under 90 minutes. Stephen Mangan turns Michel into a highly likeable though petulant man-child. His transition from someone quite smug about his happy life to a man so discombobulated that he cannot tell for sure what is a lie and what the truth, has been brilliantly captured. Ardal O’Hanlon as Paul comes in with excellent comic timing. Sarah Hadland as Alice is perfect foil for Michel’s incorrigible arguments and Janie Dee brings grace and elegance to the wronged wife, Laurence. Set design by Lizzie Clachan makes for very neat transitions between homes, hotel rooms, and other locations.
The truth lies buried somewhere amidst all the words that have been thrown about and it is for the audience to pick through it. Who is the better tennis player? Who has been wronged? Does lying make things better? Laurence’s face as the lights fade to black offers a clue.
The Truth runs until 12th September at Apollo Theatre with tickets available at https://theapollotheatre.co.uk/
Reviewer: Savitha Venugopal
Reviewed: 23rd June 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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