L: Anne van Leeuwen, R: Kaitlin Race in Patti Picker (Photo: Matt McLaren)

One Four One Collective in association with The Assembly Theatre / Patti Picker, written by Evan Bawtinheimer, directed by Cass Van Wyck, The Assembly Theatre, closes Nov. 21. Tickets here.

Patti Picker is an absolute darling of a play.

While it essentially belongs in the Theatre for Young People category, adults will delight in its sophisticated storytelling and brilliant direction. No wonder it was a huge hit at the Fringe Festival, and happily, is now back for a theatre run.

The Story

Patti Picker is about the all-important subject of bullying, and how to handle it. Layered in is the concept of compassion for people who are different. There are also the themes of gayness and a broken home.

In short, the play covers the waterfront, but in the most charming way.

Patti (Kaitlin Race) is 16 years old. Whenever she is in a high emotional state, she picks her nose. She happens to be running for Grade 10 Rep against the hated Preston, who happens to have an emotional support dog. He puts a video of Patti online picking her nose and her life falls apart, affecting her relationship with her gay girlfriend Phoebe, and her estranged father Pete, whom she blames for the divorce from her mother. The roles of Phoebe, Preston and Dad are played by Anne van Leeuwen.

The Play

First we have to commend emerging Toronto-based playwright Evan Bawtinheimer on the writing, because if Patti Picker is anything to go by, he is a real talent on the rise.

The play is written in the form of a long monologue for Patti, interrupted by scenes with Phoebe, Preston and Dad.

Just how it is written is the key.

The language is jaunty and self-deprecating. Patti tells the truth at all times, no matter how bad it may make her look, and because she is blessed with an ironic sense of humour, we are drawn into her story.

Patti Picker could be a real downer of a play, but Bawtinheimer keeps it light by the sheer force of Patti’s sparkling personality.

The Direction

Then there’s director Cass Van Wyck’s terrific handling of Bawtinheimer’s words.

She has approached the text with a physical movement for almost every phrase. Throughout, Patti’s finger is like an ever-present snake, waving and turning in space, always heading for the nose, which she tries to control. Every turn of Patti’s head is calculated, every facial expression is carefully crafted, every movement of her body, both when sitting or standing, is shaped with definition. This is theatrical choreography at its most creative.

As for the roles of Phoebe, Preston and Dad, van Leewen keeps her character-defining props on a coat stand at the back of the stage. For Phoebe it is a hairband, Preston has a toy dog on a leash, and Dad sports a baseball cap. Each character has a different voice and physicality, and all have a comic touch about them.

The Actors

Van Wyck is blessed in her actors and Patti Picker has perfect casting.

Race as Patti executes her detailed movement with delightful precision, while her voice remains bright and animated. She is adorable.

As for van Leeuwen, she is genuinely funny in her almost over-acting, although she does tend to drop some of her end words, so we miss them. More to the point, she looks like she’s having a lot of fun playing her several roles, and we have fun watching her.

Final Thoughts

That there are serious themes in Patti Picker is a given. That playwright Bawtinheimer, director Van Wyck, and the actors have presented them with a lightness of touch, in no way diminishes their importance.

That is the magic of Patti Picker.

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Paula Citron

Paula Citron is a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster who hosts her own website, paulacitron.ca. For over 25 years, she was senior dance writer for The Globe and Mail, associate editor of Opera Canada magazine, arts reviewer for Classical 96.3 FM, and dance previews contributor to Toronto Life magazine. She has been a guest lecturer for various cultural groups and universities, particularly on the role of the critic/reviewer, and has been a panellist on COC podcasts. Before assuming a full-time journalism career, Ms. Citron was a member of the drama department of the Claude Watson School for the Arts.