Battling a brain full of statistics, a society telling her she has to have it all by thirty and alcoholism, Ginny Hogan recalls the journey through her twenties to find her true life goals. Regression takes the audience by the hand as we collectively retrace her steps. The show is sarcastic yet heartfelt, and highlights the power of comedy in helping us find our purpose.
The show is sarcastic yet heartfelt
Hogan’s show is clearly structured and flows well, with a mixture of one liners and more laid back moments of storytelling. She impressively works without notes and cleverly introduces visual gags via powerpoint, which creates a very polished performance. The one drawback of this is that initially, this approach seems a little too scripted, which risks feeling stiff; however, after some welcomed ad libbing, she eases into a more organic and authentic quality. Hogan’s measured pacing works very well in conveying her comic style, allowing the audience to react multiple times throughout one joke as it builds. Her set ups themselves are funny, and you relish the lead up to the punchline. Her material on female engineers and critiques of sexism are hilariously intertwined with Hogan’s baring all of her tumultuous romantic relationships. Exposing some awkward truths about her escapades, Hogan manages to discuss sobering topics (if you pardon the pun) in a carefully structured manner that makes the audience feel comfortable enough to laugh at.
Hogan weaves in statistics, numbers and probabilities as she lovingly teases the male sex, turning what could be verbose content into something distinctly relatable. Hogan’s most triumphant material is often her most silly—her eyes light up and her energy becomes more infectious. At these moments, you can’t help but join her fan-club. This seems to dwindle slightly during the more autobiographical moments in the show, which (as in any performance) tend to be the ones that require more enthusiasm and momentum. Nevertheless, if you love structure and harsh truths tied together in a hopeful message, Regression is one to watch.
