Broke & Fabulous: A hilarious and campy love letter to all Millennials (Fringe review) 4 stars ****

Broke & Fabulous in the 21st Century strikes a universal chord: that feeling shared by most millennials in their 30s of being endlessly torn between big ambitions and a life that spirals out of control, regardless of attempts to keep it together.

Ultimately, it’s a story of friendship between Alex (Dale Robertson) and Petunia (Olive McHugh), who keep promising each other they’ll spend more time together and hold on to one another as the raft of adulthood swings them back and forth. At the same time, everyone around them seems to have more direction. Their love lives, too, are clouded by the uncertainty of undefined relationships.

Through it all, they try to survive by romanticising every aspect of it, attempting to ‘live their lives as beautifully as they see it in their heads’. The larger-than-life set design, which seems to belong in a period piece, along with their costumes and even the acting, all serve this effect, making everything look slightly and purposefully over the top.

Because, make no mistake, everything in this play is curated to perfection, from the resonant writing (which feels like a personal attack in the best way possible!) to the campy and fast-paced acting. 

The three actors shine particularly well. Dale Robertson gives Alex a dreamy, soft yet edgy aura, while Olive McHugh fast-patters nervously around the stage, perfectly delivering that overwhelming need to rant it out. They are accompanied by Rowland Stirling as Tom, the over-masculine presence of someone who seems to have it figured out, when in fact he is struggling just as much.

This show is a relatable, existentially deep, and hilarious portrayal of life for 90s children, once told they could do everything and now facing the harsh reality that so many of their dreams require them to sacrifice an ample share of their personal, love, and social lives as they get stuck in the machinery of adulthood.

It’s a beautifully written and aesthetically pleasing piece that manages to make you feel less lonely while you try to ‘work it out’.

Broke & Fabulous in The 21st Century, Dram at Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 31st August