Lynn Ferguson - The Plan

Pure dead good
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 chalkboard while regaling the audience with tales of her favourite deaths.
Ferguson morphs into different characters with such ease you hardly notice the transitions, whether it be a bored husband or psychotic dentist with 'bad thought syndrome' (the sudden desire to push someone from a moving bus, for instance). Ferguson captivates the audience throughout, offering sharp words of wisdom such as 'With one foot in the future and one in the past, you can't help but shit on the present.' She exposes, with exquisite detail, people's innermost thoughts at their most vulnerable by creating sympathetic characters in recognisable situations. The piece forces the audience to question past decisions while creating an awareness of the fine line between sanity and insanity.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 668 1633, until 25 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).