Considering comedy is about making people laugh, often the subject of comedy is pain and suffering. Last year Lauren Pattison brought a brilliant debut show, Lady Muck, to the Fringe in which she told the story of a break-up which led to self-discovery. This year Lauren is back with Peachy, a show she found hard to write because she’s happy.
Lauren is an incredibly warm and engaging character, who is so natural on stage that you feel as though you’re listening to a particularly entertaining mate. She’s so consistently funny and conversational that you get lulled into the idea this is a very smart comic riffing, so much so that her punchlines take you by surprise.
A young but very experienced comic, Lauren skillfully balances vulnerability with a whipsmart steeliness meaning she is always in control. This is demonstrated by her lightness of touch when addressing awkward subjects such as depression and class. Admitting she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder when it comes to ‘posh boys’ (which could cause a middle-class Edinburgh Fringe audience to bristle were a less experienced comic on the mic), Lauren tells us how much her life has changed since the success of Lady Muck. From deciding to stay on in London a little longer and taking the opportunity to perform in Australia to agreeing to date posh boys, Peachy is the perfect part two to her debut in which Lauren begins to take chances, one being to let someone look after her.
Lauren concluding section in which she confronts a childhood bully, who appears to have grown into a very peculiar person, feels a little tacked on but is still pleasing for anybody whose life was made a misery at school. It certainly doesn’t dampen the fact all the way through her show, we’re all rooting for Lauren. This woman is well on her way to being a comedy star.
★★★★★
Lauren Pattison: Peachy is at Pleasance Courtyard, The Attic, until 26th August. For times, tickets and information click here!
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