Danielle Ward ran exuberantly onto the stage following her self-introduction. She was striking, dressed head to toe in black, with a sparkly cardigan over a floating tunic, and black leggings into calf-high suede boots; brunette shoulder-length hair, an open, welcoming face - and extremely nice grey glittery eye-shadow.

Danielle Ward said that she found it difficult to tell lies. She read questions from a notebook and asked if they were true or false. Subjects included Star Trek, Jane Mansfield and Mr T. Sometimes truth was stranger than fiction - it was soon difficult to know what was real.

She was a fun, enthusiastic, fast-spoken performer. Sometimes the jokes were so quick, that she had moved onto the next one before there was time to laugh at the one before. The true or false session was interspersed with funny stories including foxes invading her stage, and disturbing events in Russia - ending with a question about Haribo sweets - false, and very funny.

She told stories of lies from childhood such as what happened to her aunt's baby chicks. She intercut it with speaking into a banana - which had to be imagined as a telephone - pretending to be David Bowie circa 1975. She answered the phone as different television personalities at different points in the show.

The show covered a wide range of topics from highbrow (Sylvia Plath) to lowbrow (Chat Magazine), masturbation, murder, paedophilia. All lighthearted and fun - except the grisly topics - but she made even them sound fun, sort of. She said the worst lie to tell was about death (with examples), and was sick for a long time into the banana phone (very funny). All leading up to a brilliantly-constructed lie and some great exit music.

Danielle Ward was charismatic, a consummate performer, easy to warm to. And where did she get her wonderful grey eye-shadow? If the answer is a pound shop, it may be reasonable to suspect a lie.

Cast Credits: Danielle ward.

Company Credits: Writer - Danielle Ward. Director - uncredited. Lighting Designer - uncredited. Sound Designer - uncredited. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer - uncredited. Company - uncredited. Website - www.myspace.com/daniellecward.

END

(c) Wendy Thomson 2009

reviewed Wednesday, 10 November 2009 / Hen & Chickens Theatre, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com