Theatre review: Big Bite-Size Lunch Hour: Izzy's Manifestos

Edinburgh Festival Fringe: She's been in some trouble recently, she tells us.

Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14)

***

Izzy is an upbeat teenager with a breezy approach to life. “I want to be everything,” she later says in one of the “manifestos” she writes: themed to- do lists charting her dreams and aspirations. When her father dies, everything changes: the smile might still be on her face, but beneath it now lies a sadness – one that occasionally gives way to anger.

Played by Claira Watson Parr, Izzy goes to art school and, with the help of another young woman she meets there, learns to deal with rather than bottle up her emotions. Kevin Jones’s simple but heartfelt script might at times feel like it’s dwelling too much on day-to-day activities of student life, rather than the bigger questions of bereavement, identity and growing up that the play also touches on. But there’s something appealing about the cosy, unchallenging, atmosphere, which has a similar quality to the patchwork quilt Izzy at one point wraps herself in.

By the end of the play, Izzy’s notes to herself come together to create a poignant message about dealing with life’s difficulties and disappointments. It’s not about what you do or don’t tick off, she concludes, “the point is you’ve got to try.”

Until 28 August. Today 12:15pm.