Lynn Ferguson – The Plan
Lynn Ferguson is a Scottish comedy legend, which is why I didn’t quite pay attention to the fact that her show The Plan is in the drama section of the programme. But never mind, there were many laughs to be had and her performance was riveting, Lynn is a superb comic actress.
As we enter the theatre to the strains of Ave Maria with Lynn at a desk surveying us with the air of an acerbic school teacher. She never spoke to us in this character but used gestures to explain herself and her purpose. We knew from the poster, or could soon work out that she was the devil. She appeared a bit bored with her job, the marking down of the dead, represented by radio reports of car accidents. She decided to give us a taste of some of her most recent clients and Lynn got to do some wonderful character work.
After brief meetings with a girl getting a boob job and a man who was a bit too canny with his money, we finally settle on the main story of Genevieve Brown. The story was very black but not bleak. Genevieve was a dentist with obsessive compulsive bad thought syndrome and a bad childhood. She went to uni and found love and there were many clever dark twists that took you to surprising unpleasant places. It was a fascinating tale of a disturbed mind.
But Death is not cruel. She gave us a final story of great warmth, humour, love and comfort of a cheerful mother on her deathbed with her daughter. She philosophised on where she might be heading, not being a churchy type. It was a spellbinding play performed by a consummate mesmerising actress. Lynne is doing two one woman plays at the Fringe, I’m not sure how connected they are, but this one certainly stands alone well and it is definitely worth seeing.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.