Eastside was a small pub-type situation housing several of the free Fringe shows and “Hi I’m Zoë” was based in a long room called “the Lounge” seeming almost like private seating in a pub or a club. It made for the perfect location for this show and Zoë Frendin made the most of all the space and the shape of the room throughout the show.

Originally marketed as a stand-up show, “Hi I’m Zoë” was a 45 minute theatrical piece showcasing all the disasters and incidents that come with adult dating in the 21st century. Upon walking in at 6:55 pm we are welcomed warmly by an in-character Zoë, chatting to the two girls who had already arrived about how she’s about to marry the love of her life, Casanova Ricotta! It was an exciting way to draw us into the show, because her facial expressions made us believe there were enough red flags for this man to not be the love of her life.

Once we sit down – followed by another set of two girls, making for an intimate crowd of six – Zoë begins her tale of dating in the modern era. At this point, myself and the culture editor are still unsure if it’s a stand-up or an acting piece (a decision we later understand from an out-of-character Zoë that was made to dramatise the story for the love of acting). For moments in the show, Zoë sits on her chair sticking a set of “Hello my Name is…’ labels to lead us through. The first of these labels explaining that she is gluten-free, and using that to lead us into a story about a gluten-free partner. It was these little labels that marked new points and chapters in her story which I found such a unique and engaging way to guide us through the narrative. Some of these labels were about her sex life, like losing her virginity to a tinder date, or about various dates where we understand she loves running and hiking on dates; especially as a competitive spirit.

Over the course of the show, we start to get moments of realisation over her current partner Casanova Ricotta and how he may not be the love of her life that she expected him to be. The show concludes on this note but with the ever present feeling of the sheer difficulty of dating as a straight woman in the modern world, but also the moments along the way to look back on and laugh at.

Afterwards, we were able to chat to her, and she explained her creative decisions with using the whole space, changing it from a stand-up to a theatre piece and her adventures in photography (as I was technically there as a photographer!)

Overall, it was a fantastic show, with a great audience response and definitely relatable! Zoë Frendin is definitely destined for big things!