Bobbie has returned to his impoverished home with the hopes of getting his half of his inheritance before his father dies. He is certain, in fact, that the money is actually in their apartment, that his father has been sleeping with it under his mattress. What his sister, Edie, doesn't tell him, is that their father has died just two days before. Instead, she sets up a charade whereby she brings him boxes to open, and they search for the money together. As Edie uses the memories found in each box to bring them closer together, to "re-establish" her family, her efforts to romanticize the past pushes Bobby towards a violent realization of the betrayals that brought him to adulthood. He blames her for destroying the bond they felt in childhood, for trying to "escape" the family by getting pregnant. The confrontation that erupts draws the attention of their upstairs neighbor and old family friend. Mr. Jenkins' appearance threatens to reveal Edie's secret that their father has died. The focus, however, turns to Bobbie's past, his three year stint in prison for dealing drugs. Jenkins, too, tries to re-establish the family; what he does not know is that it is already too late. Bobbie's past has caught up with him again. As the myriad of lies erupt into truths, it becomes clear how Edie's and Bobbie's actions created the estrangement they now feel. They are left with questions of blood versus social responsibility. Black Lies is a journey toward the exact moment when this brother and sister betrayed each other, turned their backs on the bond they felt in childhood, and the disparate paths their lives took in result. The real problem they face is that they live in an impoverished world where even the normal activities of growing up can result in tragedy.
Performance History:
[May, 2002] Second Wind Productions (San Francisco) Reading
[Jan, 2005] Tabia Theatre (San Jose, CA) Reading
[July, 2005] City Lights Theatre (San Jose, CA) Reading
Performance rights and royalties: Rights and Contact
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