Response to the play 'Billy Liar'.

   Both of the plays are quite different in styles because in ‘Billy Liar’ it is naturalistic and no one addresses or even realizes the audience isn’t even there. But in ‘Invisible Friends’ Lucy begins by addressing the whole audience and we are able to see her daydreams where as we can’t see Billy’s dreams but we are able to imagine what they are like because he describes them very clearly.

  Both of the plays are very similar in the story line because of the lead characters both don’t get enough attention around the home and they have to make up things to get noticed. For instance Lucy makes up a friend called Zara, which makes her feel like she is getting some attention. And Billy makes up lies to cover up for his other lies but people become suspicious of him and question him, which makes him lie more which traps him in a world of his own lies. For example when Alice and Barbara Are talking we find out that Billy has been telling more lies when they start to talk about him. Because Billy had told his mother that the lad in the fruit shop had gassed himself and he knows Alice goes in there every Tuesday.

  Even though both of the story lines in the play are similar the actual plays are very different because ‘Billy Liar’ is a kitchen sink drama this is because you can relate to this piece. Whereas ‘Invisible Friends’ is a more non-naturalistic piece. For instance Billy only talks to the cast he doesn’t address the audience in like Lucy this is because ‘Billy Liar’ is a naturalistic Piece whereas ‘Invisible Friends’ isn’t a naturalistic piece like ‘Billy Liar’ it is a non-naturalistic piece. In ‘Billy Liar’ the cast is just basically a normal every day family whereas the cast in ‘Invisible fiends’ are all a larger than life cast. Also both of the plays have a different style of ending in ‘Billy Liar’ it ends on a sad note and ‘Invisible Friends’ ends on a happy upbeat note.

   The way both of the plays present the daydream in very different forms for example in ‘Billy Liar’ Billy describes his dreams very clearly and we are able to create a picture in our minds whereas in an ‘Invisible Friends’ they actually show the daydream sequence. In ‘Billy Liar’ they play the daydream very naturalistic they don’t go overboard and start making things up that wouldn’t happen but in an ‘invisible friends’ thy totally over act and make the scene look very unreal.

  The playwrights for ‘Billy Liar’ will have lost the chance to make the play extra ordinary and couldn’t add things that wouldn’t happen in daily life but they were able to get issues out to the people and add a little bit of comedy on the way.