mistress.txt

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http://www.nightnews.net/fringe2007.htm#mistress
Title: Yesterday, When I Was Young - Hope Theatre Company
5 gold bats
http://www.hopetheatrecompany.com/yesterday.html

14 08 07 - Erin Shanagher plays 'Josie Pickering,' a legendary 
Salford housewife, lesbian and dominatrix. A show based on verbatim
style interviews between Director Adam Zane and Josie herself. This
was a late affair in the upper recesses of C soco with a good 
audience turn-out. Set in Josie's flat, she recounts her story 
in a series of monologues with flash backs to the era's of her 
younger days. OAP's all have a history and this witty, amusing 
and inspiring memoir presents one girls progress through life 
from childhood, to housewife and then lesbian. There is a good 
use of retro music to set each scene. Josie discovers the 
underground gay culture of the 60's, departs from her understanding
husband and becomes a 'housewife' to another woman! In the 70's
she finds herself with a pregnant partner and Erin Shanagher is 
utterly brilliant as she recounts some genuinely, juicy anecdotes
from this period in Josie's life. It gets better as one encounter 
with a submissive male leads Josie into the amusing world of 
domination and S&M. Anecdotes from this period give some real 
insights into the scene as it once was and may still be. The
intensity of an encounter with a submissive professional woman 
seems to strike the one serious note for Josie in this period. 
Though we are also given insights into her upbringing with a cruel,
callous abusive and generally rejecting mother, a good preparation 
for domination perhaps? More stories of sexual quirkiness restore 
a more light hearted mood and sexy Erin Shanagher does not fail
to keep the audience completely enthralled throughout the
story. As the show ends, the studio staff wheel away the props,
perhaps to underline the contingent nature of life, time and 
experience.

By John Vassallo