Greer Ogston

Inside Yerma

Singing, dancing and despair

21 Aug 2008

Lorca’s play, widely regarded as a metaphor for the Spanish civil war, deals with grand themes of honour, passion, desperation and love. In the Spanish campo, Yerma is unable to conceive with a husband she does not love and feels entombed in her house…

The Gymnast

Harrowing history makes for unsatisfying theatre

14 Aug 2008

This curious collage of movement, speech, sound and lighting FX creates an impressionistic portrayal of life under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Opening with a series of statistics and dates, we are bombarded with the major losses and severity of…

I Love You, Bro

Tragedy for the dotcom generation

14 Aug 2008

Johnny (Ash Flanders) just wants to be someone, and online he can be anyone he wants. What starts out as a humorous look at socialising in the digital era swiftly morphs into a dark analysis of our atomised society. After a chance online meeting…

Lynn Ferguson – Heart and Sole

14 Aug 2008

Lynn Ferguson’s witty play deals with loneliness, relationships and one woman’s love for a fish named Dave. The star’s effortless talent for characterisation allows her to switch between fish fanatic, brash west coast wifey and timid teacher, mixing wit…

Christie in Love

14 Aug 2008

Howard Brenton’s play follows the police interrogation of John Reginald Christie, infamous serial killer and rapist. The actors submerge themselves in the roles of the repugnant Christie, an anxious constable (Marco Violino) and domineering inspector…

Confessions and Obsessions of a Thirtysomething Divorcee

14 Aug 2008

In this light-hearted rant about being a thirtysomething woman Xara (Melanie Sherwood) poses questions about love, sex and relationships with a wry sense of humour. With clichés such as dildos, shoes and support pants thrown in, this is a warm-hearted…

The British Ambassador's Belly Dancer

Shaking things up

7 Aug 2008

Belly dancing, spanking, stripping and politics are the intriguing ingredients of this rags-to-riches tale in which object of media notoriety Nadira Aleiva (who was mistress to the controversial former ambassador in Uzbekistan, Craig Murray) tells her…

Lynn Ferguson - The Plan

Pure dead good

7 Aug 2008

Lynn Ferguson knows how to spin a good yarn. Her second theatrical offering at this year's Fringe is a mesmerising, character-based dark comedy in which Death kills time in her office, listening to the news and marking off the fatalities on her…

Tied Up in Knotts

7 Aug 2008

Having spent her career trying to escape the shadow of her prominent Hollywood dad, Don Knotts, Karen's one-woman show is, ironically enough, all about her famous father. Knotts attempts to engage with her audience by conjuring up characters from her…

The Elephant Man

7 Aug 2008

Mary Swan and Saul Jaffe's play confronts us with the true story of Joseph Merrick, charting his struggle from circus freak to medical marvel. Jaffe uses his physicality to manoeuvre himself around Sam Pine's inspired set, which comes complete with…

Game?

23 Aug 2007

If you’ve ever been to a dinner party and wanted to scream in frustration then this creative company, Tangled Feet, have the play for you. What begins as a get together to welcome the neighbours soon morphs into a sharp, surreal insight into the…

Scarborough

23 Aug 2007

An ever controversial issue, teacher/pupil relationships are by no means a novel subject matter, but you will rarely have experienced a performance quite so up close and personal as Scarborough. The audience line the walls of a very intimate seedy hotel…

Skolka

23 Aug 2007

Three mail order bride applicants sell themselves to the audience, and before you know it you’ve followed their life history and found out exactly how they ended up smiling at a camera in desperation. This physically enthralling piece draws you into the…

The Importance of Shoes

23 Aug 2007

A story of obsession, infidelity and wondrous shoes, this piece uncovers the bad situations people can get into. With sharp, snappy dialogue exchanges the play stylishly skips along, light-heartedly exploring our faults and vices. Shoes become the…

The Last

23 Aug 2007

The last party, the last drink, the last time for, well everything. The end of the world is ‘fucking nigh’. The world is literally counting down to the end as a group of friends spend their last hysterical hours together. Filled with drugs, drink and…

Best Western

Rich Hall's motel life

23 Aug 2007

Although listed under comedy and written/directed by Fringe favourite, comedian Rich Hall, Best Western is far from a light-hearted romp. It looks at two interlinking families in a middle America Motel, where the owners are being forced to sell and the…

Tell

23 Aug 2007

This stylish piece depicts the abject loneliness of two peoples’ lives as they try to recapture former happiness in their own unique ways. Alfred recounts memories of his honeymoon in Paris while Vivien dreams of a garden of her own. The couple draws…

The Swingers

23 Aug 2007

This inventive mix of film and live performance is a comical romp about one couple’s foray into the seductive world of swinging. Film sequences are used to hilarious effect with perfect timing and some brilliant character acting. The German porno is a…

Touch by Bill Dare

23 Aug 2007

Touch is a charmingly sweet play, though not sickeningly so. It’s about a meeting between two lonely souls in unusual circumstances. Their quirks and foibles somehow fit together in a case of opposites attract. The two characters, Emma (Lucinda…

POPPEA

16 Aug 2007

One of the most powerful leaders in the world abuses his position by having an affair and ignoring the will of the people – it’s a concept as familiar today as it was 2000 years ago for the Romans, on whose machinations Claudio Monteverdi based his…

Jihad: The Musical

16 Aug 2007

The magic of the musical genre is that you can get away with so much. If you can’t say it, sing it. This show is a perfect example. Catchy songs like ‘The Jihad Jive’ whisk us through Sayed’s story. In it we follow a young naïve Afghan flower seller who…

Habagat

16 Aug 2007

Four sisters have just buried their father in a banana box and are facing life together on an island, which is deserted save for its angry natives. Dealing with sisterly love and hate, greed and colonialism, the play explores the devastating effect the…

Greedy Scratchers

16 Aug 2007

From stone age to space age, this piece examines human life through the ages by focusing on one family. Beginning as homo sapiens relying on primal instincts, like sex, food and power, the piece explores how humans have evolved physically, emotionally…

Transformation

16 Aug 2007

Transformation is a compelling tale of one woman’s extraordinary life. An actor, dancer and environmental campaigner explains what she calls the transformation cycle, beginning in chaos and progressing full circle to order. Using her physicality and…

Dickens Unplugged

16 Aug 2007

Unless you were brought up in a workhouse, you’ll be familiar with at least one of Dickens’ many tales. Beginning with Oliver Twist, this musical, is not quite as Dickens intended. We embark upon a full speed tour of his books, ending with A Christmas…