It was another fun, but so hot, day at Fringe! I saw three shows, with two of those reviews appearing in Intermission Magazine, and got to spend some time at the Fringe Patio! It’s always fun to connect with friends, the Fringe artists, and grab some delicious food!

Patty Picker – Flying Penguin Theatre

Patty has been picking her nose for as long as she can remember; whether she’s happy or sad, and especially when she’s stressed, Patty picks. Patty Picker, written by Evan Bawtinheimer and directed by Cass Van Wyck, is not only about the realities of being a teenager, but overcoming adversity through love and acceptance.

Patty’s running for class representative in her grade 10 class, against Preston (and his dog Percy) who Patty thinks is a piece of crap (he’s a pretty nasty bully). Patty’s new girlfriend Phoebe is initially very supportive of Patty. But when Preston leaks a video of Patty picking her nose, her whole campaign goes down the drain. But with the help of solid advice from her Pizza making papa Paul, Patty manages to stand up for what’s right against the bullies in her school.

Bawtinheimer’s writing absolutely tickled me; the piece is so alliterative, with every name in the book starting with P being used for the characters and more p adjectives than you can shake a stick at. It gives the work a charming and youthful feel, while also making it very memorable.

Kaitlin Race and Anne Van Leeuwen are brilliant in this production. Race’s physicality throughout the performance is fantastic (her hands seem to have a mind of their own), and her charm shines through in every moment. Van Leeuwen plays everyone else in Patty’s life, and does so with grace and ease, quickly switching from one character to the next and never missing a beat.

I absolutely love Patty. She has the ability to know herself well enough and have the hutzpah to tell the other kids to “grow up!” when they’re being unkind. I would never have been able to do that, and I truly hope that this inspires the young people who are able to see this to be more like Patty.

https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/patty-picker

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B. Kinnon, D. Moyes

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