Review – Goodness Me by Ioana Goga

⭐⭐⭐⭐

By Andreea Helen David

Ioana Goga strikes again!  Here she is alone, in her one woman show, her second, her first having been Offie nominated, baring it all with humour, deft and wit. Well maybe not totally alone, she is joined on stage by a very sarcastic but truth telling Furby called Lulu (voiced by Shirley Both)…oh the fun.

Ioana plays Celeste, a writer in her thirties living in London, who has just had another rejection letter. Add to this recently single and you have the perfect setup for a life crisis. Her strife, worries and desperation are peeled back to us little by little in the confined space of her “room” the small theatre, making us feel all her feelings too. Ioana is a wordsmith, that is already known, never boring, never too much, never too revealing, pulls you in with relatable and humorous rants and makes you feel you are either her friend or it’s actually you up there. The set up and stage design is very charming and clever and the world building is very effective. Ioana is the writer of the show but as a performer she is also engaging and compelling. She doesn’t own the stage, she wouldn’t, she is that friend that says I need help but ends up talking herself into the solution, you are the sounding board, and this to me is so much more endearing. Celeste is your typical Londoner,  however, she feels whiny at times, too into her own mind but …. then comes the surprise, which justifies why the character needs to have this repetitive whining ahem self reflection out loud….well to her Furby. 

Best thing about the show is the hope and courage that runs throughout even when less apparent, Celeste teaches us a great life lesson, all you need is resilience and empathy- after all we’re all in this together. Directed by Anca Vaida, Anca does an amazing job in bringing Ioana’s vision on stage and the visual artistry widens the impact of Ioana’s words. Elsewhere in the team, Andreea Buzărnescu has found the perfect style to accompany the sweet and quirky style of the play. 

So, if you fancy a fun yet reflective night out Goodness me will be at Edinburgh Fringe 1- 25th of August.