Fashioning raw theatre from primitive materials
Theatre: The Chronicles of Oggle. Everyman Theatre, Cork . Directed by Donal Gallagher. Runs nationwide until May 3 . (see asylumtheatre.com/ oggle-tour-2015). Rating: ****. Reviewed by Brendan Daly
At first glance, The Chronicles of Oggle seems to traverse wearily familiar terrain: a child’s brutal treatment at the hands of the Christian Brothers. Yet from such stark base metal, Peter Gowen distils pure gold. “Life is a dream sometimes,” insists Pakie, the endearing protagonist of Gowen’s hugely uplifting one-man show.
Now in middle age, Pakie is a man with a mild disability. The play recounts his life ...