The Truth review: A hilarious comedy about lying, and that's the truth
Posted on
Returning to the West End a decade after its last London run, Lindsay Posner’s star-studded revival of The Truth arrives at a time when honesty feels more negotiable than ever. Over a brisk 90 minutes, Zeller’s comedy of manners gleefully ties itself into knots, asking whether the truth is really the foundation of a healthy relationship or simply the fastest way to destroy one.
Michel (Stephen Mangan) certainly has his views on the matter. Happily conducting an affair with Alice (Sarah Hadland), he considers guilt a pointless exercise and would rather spend the energy at the tennis court with his best friend (and Alice’s husband) Paul (Ardal O'Hanlon). Why confess an indiscretion, Michel argues, when the only person it benefits is the one doing the confessing? “It’s selfish!” and besides “Not even philosophers can agree on what truth actually is, so why should the rest of us bother?”
For Michel, ignorance isn't just bliss it’s practically a public service because, the “last thing your husband needs is details about your sex life”.
Stephen Mangan is superb as the endlessly self-assured Michel. He breezes through life convinced he is the smartest person in every room, armed with an answer for every moral dilemma and a justification for every bad decision. Mangan captures that infuriating confidence perfectly, making Michel charming enough to tolerate while never letting us forget how utterly ridiculous he is. As the evening progresses and secrets start to flow, his indignation becomes increasingly entertaining. Michel believes he has been pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes; in reality, he’s a lost lamb without a clue about what’s going on.
The cast may be small (we only ever see the two couples), but they are mighty. Having collectively starred in some of the UKs best and much loved comedies (*Father Ted, Green Wing, Miranda, Taskmaster* etc), they all have comic timing in spades and send the audience into regular fits of laughter throughout the night. This play, with this cast, must have the highest laughs per minute in the West End right now.
Sarah Hadland brings warmth and vulnerability to Alice, skilfully navigating the character’s shifting loyalties and motivations. Ardal O’Hanlon's Paul initially appears the most straightforward member of the quartet, but O’Hanlon cleverly keeps us guessing, revealing layers beneath the affable exterior, and earns some of the biggest laughs, and biggest shocks, of the night. Meanwhile Janie Dee is wonderfully poised as Laurence, Michel’s wife, calmly delivering some of the evening’s most cutting moments. The fact she’s so still and quiet in a sea of absurdity and ill-judged anger makes them sting all the more.
What makes The Truth so enjoyable is that nobody emerges looking particularly virtuous. Every conversation becomes a negotiation, every confession feels suspicious, and every declaration of honesty carries its own hidden agenda. The play continually shifts the audience’s perspective, encouraging us to reassess what we think we know about each character before gleefully pulling the rug out from under us once again.
Funny, clever and deliciously cynical, it asks whether we really want the truth from the people we love, and leaves us wondering if Michel might have had a point after all.
It’s a hilarious, ridiculous, fast-paced, joy of a show: and that's the truth.
[The Truth](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/the-truth-tickets) plays at the [Apollo Theatre](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/apollo-theatre-london) until 12 September 2026.