By Colin Flaherty
After getting humiliated by the high school It Girl, Liv and Jake (Olivia McLeod and Jake Glanc) find a way to stop the most catastrophic event in their lives. What follows is a high energy romp through the year 2013 through the eyes of this pair of drama queens and their fragile teenage egos.
They play things very big and broad often verging on pantomime territory, an apt method reflecting the heightened emotions of teenagers. The plot twists and turns like a snake with ADHD keeping everyone on their toes. This duo flit about the stage bringing scenes to life beautifully through mime and the occasional prop.
This is a very self aware fringe festival piece that regularly breaks the fourth wall. We get self critiques, re staging of scenes and many witty lines about the festival performance experience. Even though fellow performers will be laughing more heartily than the normies, everyone will enjoy the absurd hyper-reality.
Music of the period features heavily so if you were a teenager at the time a flood of nostalgia will hit you in the face. This soundtrack also allows our duo to dance up a storm, gyrating, bumping and grinding at every opportunity. It was also a clever transition device between scenes that kept the energy level in the red.
A video backdrop transports us to various locales as well as being a kaleidoscope of colour during dance numbers. A video of Patina Pataznik in her prime is disturbing in all its AI generated glory and a roadtrip takes a chique route – a lovely contrast to the juvenile shenanigans surrounding it.
It’s a wonderfully silly farce by a pair of pert and perky performers. The script, especially the finale, is a little bit on the flimsy side but you’ll have a great time if you allow yourself to get swept up in the excitement of this perpetually hormonal pair.
We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik is on at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/we-forgive-you-patina-pataznik
