Lauren Pattison has had a tough journey on her way back to being a professional comedian after the pandemic. Although she doesn’t see her story as particularly inspirational, she was willing to do things that other comedians wouldn’t do, such as taking up a job in a supermarket.
Before the pandemic, Lauren did a standup show about how well everything was going in her life. Fast forward to now, her life is completely different to what it was before Covid, now her show is about how she came to terms with the end of a long-term relationship, having to move back home and watching her career collapse because of lockdown. Despite all of this, the show is not bleak, it’s a funny take on how you can turn your life around by making positive changes in your life.
“It Is What It Is” also has a lot to do with being proud of where you come from. Lauren Pattison is a proper Geordie, and she spent her whole life in Newcastle up until an unenjoyable move to London. During that time, she dealt with people looking down on her and treating her differently after hearing her accent. So the show has a positive message behind it as well, it doesn’t matter if you grew up dirt poor or filthy rich, what matters is that you take pride in your upbringing and own it because it’s a big part of who you are.
This is a well-thought out, well-told hour of comedy, it’s only missing those occasional big laughs. However, “It Is What It Is” is one of the greatest comeback stories at the festival.
Lauren Pattison: It Is What It Is, 12:30, Monkey Barrel Comedy, August 13-15, 17-28.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/lauren-pattison-it-is-what-it-is
