Anyone who has ever been sexually assaulted by a stranger, or anyone who is close to and cares about someone who has been similarly violated and traumatized, will readily recognize the all-consuming characterological crisis of the woman named Faye at the center of this staggeringly brilliant play, Lie Low by Irish playwright Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, now playing in its North American premiere presented by Solas Nua. Since Faye’s apartment was broken into 20 days ago by a nighttime intruder who hit her, stripped off her underpants, and shoved his penis at her, she has been unable to sleep:
Faye: Because someone broke in once, my brain seems to think it’s rational for that to happen again…. And no matter how many times someone says it’s not going to happen, I don’t believe them…. Because when I’m lying in bed at night I have this intense feeling that I’m about to be … raped and murdered.
To anyone familiar with that not-uncommon gendered terror, what will come as a surprise — perhaps a shock — is the tense hilarity with which Smyth has imbued the story of Faye’s inner turmoil and her attempts to heal (“I won’t allow myself to be victim a second time,” she vows). The play’s style of verbal and physical humor, which doesn’t lend itself well to description, seems totally original — and the laughs almost never stop.
At the core of this brisk (65-minute) absurdist comedy is a deep darkness that many would likely look away from had not Smyth the wit and ingenuity to frame it as improbably funny. The laughs are notably never at the survivor’s expense, as might be expected in a culture obsessed with victim-blaming. Through a series of “exposure therapy” episodes, Faye pluckily revisits and rehearses what happened to her — with the reluctant assistance of her older brother, Naoise, whom she initially feels safe with — and becomes the conquering heroine of her own life.
As Faye, Megan Graves gives a riveting and incandescent performance that’s not to be missed. She can go from tormented to playful to outraged in a heartbeat. As Naoise, Cody Nickell not only gives a stalwart and sensitive performance but also, at Faye’s urging, appears as the mock assailant, wearing a ridiculous duck mask over his head. With Jen Rabbitt Ring’s Irish dialect coaching, both actors were clear and persuasive. And director Rex Daughterty has calibrated the interconnections between their characters with breathtaking exactitude. There isn’t a nanosecond of onstage time that’s off. Together, Graves and Nickell also do some mean comic swing dancing, impressively choreographed by Robert Bowen Smith to upbeat tunes sound-designed by Kenny Neal and surreally lit by lighting designer Alberto Segarra.
On the plain wood-floored stage, there’s a record player on a stool, a floor lamp, and not much else in Gisela Estrada’s spare scenic design, except that upstage center is a massive armoire that belonged to Faye and Naoise’s mother. It bursts open, lit inside by multicolored fluorescent tubes, when Faye and Naoise boogie, as well as when the bogeyman Duckman shows up. It becomes a stage within a stage, like a closet for Faye’s distraught thoughts.
There are some astonishing twists in the storyline, which I won’t disclose except to say that one of them occasions a passage in the play that may well be unprecedented in public performance. It’s a scene that portrays Naoise as an apologetic wannabe nice guy who, notwithstanding his self-conception as harmless and a good friend to women, is revealed to be maybe not. It’s a fascinating up-close portrait of a man whose conscience is in crisis when accused and confronted by a woman in trauma. I can’t recall seeing a more explosive depiction of contemporary sexual politics between two people onstage.
You have to see Lie Low to believe it. You won’t be able to unsee it.
Running Time: A thoroughly engaging 65 minutes.
Lie Low plays through November 23, 2025, presented by Solas Nua, performing at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC. Showtimes are Thursdays-Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays-Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($45–$60 with pay-what-you-can options available throughout the run) are available online and through TodayTix.
The digital program for Lie Low is here.
The North American Premiere of
Lie Low
Written by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth
Directed by Rex Daugherty
CAST
Naoise/Duck Man: Cody Nickell
Faye: Megan Graves
Understudies: Jared H. Graham, Mary Myers
CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM
Ciara Elizabeth Smyth (Playwright), Rex Daugherty (Director/Producer), Robert Bowen Smith (Choreography), Gisela Estrada (Scenic Design), Logan Benson (Costume Design), Alberto Segarra (Lighting Design), Kenny Neal (Sound Design), Isabel deCarvalho (Prop Design), Lorraine Ressegger-Slone (Fight & Intimacy Director), Jen Rabbitt Ring (Dialect & Vocal Coach), Isabella Tapia (Stage Manager), Jazzy Davis (Assistant Stage Manager), Franklin Ruiz (Technical Director), Pierce Stoneburner (Master Electrician), Tessa Hager (Scenic Painter), and Mekala Sridhar (Creative Producer).
SEE ALSO:
Solas Nua unveils cast for Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s ‘Lie Low’ (news story, September 15, 2025)
Solas Nua sets North American premiere of Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s ‘Lie Low’ (news story, August 11, 2025)
