LIARS AT A FUNERAL by Sophia Fabiilli
"Can a funeral be funny? In director Aaron Jan’s hands, the answer is an emphatic yes...Jan keeps the comedy buoyant without losing sight of the family bruises beneath it" - Our Theatre Voice
"Director Aaron Jan deserves credit for maintaining the production's brisk pace. Comedy lives or dies by the timing and this cast rarely misses a beat. " - Orono Weekly Times
When an estranged family gathers to mourn the passing of Mavis, the family matriarch, the funeral erupts into a more dysfunctional family reunion than any of them could have imagined. If everyone can keep it together, they might just break the intergenerational curse and make it out alive!
When I read Sophia's script, I immediately thought of a Chinese funeral, filled with lies, secrets and generational curses. I've also been to way more Chinese funerals than Western ones. With Sophia's blessing and minor rewrites, we explored the play through an East Asian lens, complete with tough I love yous (a hug means something different), characters trying their best to lie and a very, very dirty grandma who hides her hurt and guilt under incredible bravado. I'm especially grateful to cultural consultant Nick Wang, who readily answered so many questions about piety, colour schemes and how the Tan family would figure out a fake/not fake funeral. We also had a lot of fun hiding Chinese easter eggs in the set for those who know.
I think it's such a boon to be culturally specific onstage, especially given the rise of populist xenophobia. I was thrilled the Capitol was so down to learn about and construct this world and (most importantly) to watch a bunch of Asians fall down, get up, lie to each other, do so many quick changes and slam many, many doors. We may be different, but in the end we all laugh and cry the same.
Liars at A Funeral by Sophia Fabiilli
June 12 to 28 2026
Produced by the Capitol Theatre as a part of their 2026 season
With: Carolyn Fe, Ericka Leobrera, Gregory Solomon, Jane Luk and Aidan deSalaiz
Stage Managed by Wei Qing Tan
Assistant Stage Managed by Frank/ie
Dresser: Jamie Raymond
Head of Production: Katherine Smith
Lighting Designed by Jareth Li
Sound Design and Composition by Maddie Bautista
Set Design by Joyce Padua
Props by Mary Witlib
Costume Design by Laura Gardner
Photos by Sam Moffatt
Fights and intimacy directed by Siobhan Richardson
Cultural Consultation by Nick Fanzheng Wang
Directed by me!