Rogue Review: Dockery’s ‘One Small Lie’ brings thrilling storytelling ‘home’ to Fresno
By Heather Parish
Telling hair-raising tales to a gathering of fellows in the hearthlight of a chilly evening is a 19th-century tradition I wish had never gone out of fashion. It gave us “A Christmas Carol.” It gave us “Frankenstein.” It gave us “The Turn of the Screw,” which sets the tale in just such a scene. There is something intimate about hearing a yarn spun as the earth cools and the night wraps its arms around the room.
Martin Dockery’s “One Small Lie,” a world premiere from the acclaimed storyteller at this year’s Rogue Festival, may not sound like a Victorian Gothic tale, but as a 21st-century thriller, it achieves all the hallmarks of the genre as well as the highest standards of storytelling. Presenting it in the front room of the Levy Historic Family Home in the Tower District’s Wilson Island is a happy choice that heightens the experience that much more.
The story
For many years, Dockery has been a storyteller, playwright, and performer, crafting tales of all shapes and forms. Although “storytelling” and “thriller” may not be synonymous, Dockery’s “One Small Lie” serves as a prime example of how effectively and simply a crime story can be told.
Dockery uses himself as the protagonist, though he leaves the factuality of the incidents in the story to the listener’s imagination. We’ll call the protagonist “Martin.” Alone at the tail end of the pandemic, in a borrowed house in Montauk, New York (aka “The End” to the locals), Martin takes a walk through the woods, waves hello to a neighbor, and happens upon an injured fawn in the lane. For the rest of the evening, a series of well-intended (if questionable) decisions are made that place Martin in an ethical and legal quandary, holding a bag of $800,000 in cash while being the last person to see a shady character alive.
It’s a setup perfectly played for the audience. All of the tropes are there: a memorable location, dynamic characters, high stakes, and a real and present threat. From there, Dockery spins a twisty, action-packed, often funny tale of one man’s ability to justify every dubious step in the name of “being the hero.”
If this storyline were a novel, I’d put it in my Book of the Month Club box.
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The storyteller
An expert storyteller, Dockery is in his element here. He has a conversational style that connects with an audience, even though he’s the only one talking. The story has clear beats, and every beat builds on the next while Dockery pitches his tone and pacing to the twists. But even more, he builds a character of greed and ego that we can still root for. Part of the attraction of this performance is that Martin presents as an everyman who shows step-by-step how anyone can wind up breaking bad.
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Told with an accompanying soundscape and lightscape programmed and run by Dockery through his computer and phone app, the tech enhances the immersive qualities of the story. The soundscape calls to mind Dockery’s “Dark Fantastic,” which he performed at the festival in 2013. It is foreboding and mysterious and keeps the narrative on track. Unlike “Dark Fantastic,” “One Small Lie” has a more familiar entry point and a linear plot that makes the story more accessible. While Dockery is still working out some of the timing and flow of the technical cues, the effect overall is interesting.
The storied location
Dockery presents this year’s performance at the Levy Historic Family Home in Fresno’s Tower District, hosted by Bob Boro. One of the original homes in the Historic Wilson Island, the house has its own story to tell. As a backdrop for “One Small Lie,” however, it becomes a character itself. Lit with lamps and lanterns, Dockery delivers the show in front of a large picture window, draperies open to the moonlight and shadows outside. Guests fill a room built 120 years ago, and the atmosphere is anticipatory, congenial, and, yes, thrilling.
As a piece of site-specific theater, “One Small Lie” works incredibly well. It is as if we’re listening to another guest at a cocktail party tell a banger of a story while a storm rages outside. The location envelops the audience in the story, bringing everyone into Dockery’s orbit as he tells his tale. This set-up will not be duplicated, however, in Dockery’s upcoming performances on the fringe festival circuit, where he will perform in more traditional theaters. This makes Fresno’s iteration of “One Small Lie” a particularly unique experience.
Martin Dockery’s “One Small Lie” continues at the Rogue Performance Festival Thursday, March 6, through Saturday, March 8. Seating is limited, so advance tickets and arriving 30 minutes early are recommended.
