Brilliant Lies

Brilliant Lies

By Braeden Marano

In the play, ‘Brilliant Lies’, David Williamson uses a number of techniques to expand on the concepts introduced in the title. He uses characters and their back stories to build a supporting argument to compliment the text’s overall theme that everyone lies to protect themselves. Susy’s sexual harassment claim contains the most evident form of lies throughout the text, however Vince and Gary’s relationship, Susy’s family history, and even Marion’s favouritism with clients all help to identify the main themes to the reader.

All through the play, there is an epic battle between Susy and Gary. Susy is _____. Gary is ______. Susy claims that Gary sexually assaulted her and Gary strongly denies it. At various points in the text, in mediation sessions with Marion who is a _____, we are told many variations of what happened between the pair. In the first scene, Susy tells Marion the Gary ‘grabbed my breasts and said something sick and when I turned around Gary’s member was inches in front of my nose. The next day, I was fired.’ In the next scene, Gary tells Marion that she was fired because ‘her work was unsatisfactory.’

In the first mediation meeting between Susy and Gary, Susy lies about telling Katy, her sister, everything that happened between her and Gary. Katy lies by saying that Susy suffered ‘seven months of vicious sexual persecution’ and Gary lies by saying that the claim is ‘utter bullshit.’ At this stage in the play, the audience is unsure as to who is telling the truth due to the fact that everyone is lying, and this is a statement that Williamson makes about personal and business relationships and how society operates. He is saying that everybody needs to lie in order for them to look out for their best interests, no matter who gets hurt.

It is not until the climax of the play that we think we’ve uncovered the truth as to what really happened between Susy and Gary when Susy admits to having sex with Gary on several occasions. She says that ‘we would drive to my place and be gone before my sister got home’ and that it was only when Susy decided to end the relationship that Gary became obsessed and began making dirty phone calls to her. Gary settles the case and Susy is awarded $40,000.

In the final scenes however, the viewers learns that Susy still embellished the truth while testifying against Gary. This leads the audience to believe that Susy could have been lying about the whole affair and Gary really could have been innocent all along.

It is through this story that Williamson is commenting on the relationship between men and women and the fact that lies are the glue that hold society together.

Gary is possibly the biggest liar in the play. He lies to Vince, he lies to his wife, and he lies to Marion. In Scene 2 of Act One, Gary lies to Marion about sexually assaulting Susy, saying the claim is ‘absolute rubbish,’ and later lies to Vince, his boss, about the same thing. Gary maintains the lie about his office romance all throughout the play, and even in the end when Susy confesses, he still denies it.

He also lies to his wife during the text about his previous