Picking – Gullivers Lounge

If you’ve ever suffered a bad date, then you may find either solace in tonight’s show, or confirmation that it’s time to delete a few apps off your phone.

Described as a ‘love letter to the over-thinkers, worriers and anxiously attached’, Picking is a one-act, one woman show from the pen of Amelia Slater.

We meet Catherine who, left to her own devices for the night whilst her flatmate visits a boyfriend, tipsily sways between near misses with a disastrous would-be booty call, pining for the good guy and considering lesbianism.

Catherine’s Fleabag-esque misadventures as she scrapes for a self-esteem boost provide plenty of laughs, some moments of poignancy and a mildly horrifying insight into the perils of young Millennial/Gen-Z dating.

Occasionally, like Catherine’s dating efforts, the show can feel like it’s trying a bit too hard. The monologue that inspires the title of the show feels disconnected to anything else, and the source of a male gaslight-y disembodied voice she regularly argues with isn’t clear (an ex she didn’t get over perhaps?)

But a disastrous trip to a karaoke bar and her battle of wills with her flatmate’s cat Malcolm are a hoot and, despite some bumps, the writing has some lovely moments.

And whilst there may not be any new epiphanies in this latest addition to a growing sea of ‘I am woman’-type offerings, a strong performance from a genuine and likeable performer is enough to let the audience root for Catherine to climb out of her pyjama-clad slump and cheer as she leaves us to explore a potential and slightly unexpected source of happiness.

For remaining Fringe show details visit https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk

Reviewer: Lou Steggals

Reviewed: 28th July 2024

North West End UK Rating: