1 Small Lie: Martin Dockery

Martin Dockery really knows how to enthrall an audience. I've seen a few of his shows now and this one was probably the favorite so far. I really enjoyed his journey through this story that almost could be plausible. How 1 small lie can grow into a series of even more inescapable falsities. I found myself trying to figure out what loose ends he needed to tie up to get away with it all! A very fun and engaging story that I would recommend!

Love Martin's writing and storytelling but this one is my favorite. I like his production value additions as well as the edge of my seat hanging onto every word to learn more and more of the plot. Great show. High Recommend. Wanna see it again.

I enjoyed this fun story that builds with humor and tension as the lie continues to grow. It was an entertaining hour and Martin is an entertaining storyteller who kept the audience engaged and wondering what could possibly come next.

Absolutely incredible.

1 small lie leads to one gripping tale that is full of twists. Dockery is a master at pulling his audience into an absurd story that somehow seems entirely believable at the same time. A very enjoyable hour with a master storyteller.

One of my favourite performers, having seen him perform now in 4 shows and loved every second of his storytelling capabilities. He just has a way about him. I was so entranced in every line of this story and liked the music/lighting additions. They added to the depth of the storyline. It was a thrill ride from beginning to end!

A compelling and entertaining storyteller. The atmospheric music and lighting added to the experience, and the whole audience (a full house) seemed to be engaged from start to finish.

When I sat down to watch Martin Dockery's play 1 Small Lie, I was not expecting to hear such a nail-biting and thrilling true crime story. An innocent one-man comedy about how Martin saves a deer on a forest trail in Montauk, New York transforms into a chaotic, gripping tale sure to keep you at the edge of your seat. Dockery's delivery and unique choices during the show made for a story-telling experience like no other.

The story goes that while in Montauk away from family, Martin encounters a deer alongside the road that got injured and decides to save it and bring it home with him. Unfortunately, when he finds the car that hit the deer, the rude driver appears to have gotten into an accident; prompting Martin to steal the duffel bag filled with cash in his backseat. But will his actions have consequences? Can one small lie save him?

Martin Dockery has an undeniably infectious, engaging presence on stage. His energy is through the roof. The mere speed at which he tells this story is highly impressive. So as you can guess, his style of storytelling is fast-paced, yet still charming and funny. His wit and comedic chops are immediately noticeable once he's in the zone on stage; he completely dominates the stage. All in all, he's mesmerizing to watch and listen to.

1 Small Lie's set was simple yet effective: an array of various lamps around the stage. The colours of the lamps were controlled by Dockery on his phone (which at times admittedly, broke the immersion a tad) and the array of hues represented the time of day or weather conditions of the scene. It was a very intriguing choice, with the thunderstorm section of the story looking amazing on stage as the lamps flashed white periodically to represent the lightning. Besides that, a 58-and-a-half-minute musical backtrack accompanied Martin's story, serving as added ambiance.

Overall, 1 Small Lie was a play jam-packed with action, horror, and laughs. It's got everything you could want in a thrilling and engaging one-man show. The story is tied up with such a pleasant bow as the musical accompaniment drifts off, that your body will pull you subconsciously out of your seat for a standing ovation. I'd recommend this to all who love a good rollercoaster ride-type of one-man show, you don't want to miss this one!

If you can see a Martin Dockery show you haven't seen, ALWAYS go see it. This one is no exception.

My favorite feature of his style as a playwright is his use of rhythm. He crafts his sentences so expertly that most audience members won't even notice that they are being pulled into a musical repetition of syllabic patterns until it's too late. They suddenly find that they've been set up for a pleasantly disorienting jab of surprising emotion when they least expect it.

This expertly crafted show has everything you need. It's suspenseful, intriguing, very funny, and full of unexpected twists and turns.

Martin creates a stylized worldbuilding that is juuuust far enough removed from reality to take the audience outside their typical perceptions and challenge them to change their thinking.

I've seen comments about the actor-controlled lights breaking the fourth wall, and it surprises me that those individuals didn't take the time to ask themselves, "This is obviously an intentional choice that's baked into the rest of the piece. What is the significance of the artist making such a decision?"

From my viewpoint, it's symbolic. Whether that symbolism indicates "with every change of scene, the character makes a conscious choice to go further into an irreversible course of action" or "it's symbolic of the 'let's get by the best we can' nature of the early pandemic" or something else is unknown. It is, up to the audience member to make their own interpretation.

This piece is great. It's tightly structured and beautifully delivered. Go see it.

Great show keeps you interested right to the end and leaves you wondering!

Love Martin Dockerty’s storytelling - he has a great sense of pacing and repetition. I also found the lights-controlled-by-phone a bit distracting, but the vintage lamps with colour-changing bulbs were cool and added ambiance.

Outstanding storytelling, there are genuinely no words for how to describe this show. We were on the edge of our seats, it was impossible to stop listening to what was a weaving tale with stakes that keep rising. This is a show you can’t miss!

Martin Dockery is one of the few storytellers at the fringe that I think is really good. Super tight storytelling, especially this time on one long 59-minute track of music and sound effects that relies on perfect timing. Didn't expect this one to take a horror turn, but it was pretty good. Not my favourite of his shows, but even his worst is still better than 75% of one-man storytelling shows tbh.

I will say that controlling smart bulbs via phone loses a bit of the magic. I’d rather he had a tech control it so it doesn’t break the immersion.