Marina di Marzo reflects on personal growth through unusual references from her childhood, including the animated characters (“himbos”) that informed her sexual awakening. Love in the Time of Fifth Grade explores how and why she identified with angry men like Gordon Ramsay and Eminem, alongside aggressive alpha males and, of course, Sharon Stone. Her boy-crazy mania was also informed by her older sister.
It was the year 2000, and young Marina was “in kindergarten, playing with Barbies”. With its cast of characters rendered as cartoon drawings that vaguely capture their personality traits, Love in the Time of Fifth Grade is an amusing, people-driven piece of storytelling, full of vivid memories and unexpected connections.
Awkward dating, cautious requests for polygamy, and quick escapes characterise those early grades. Watching, I have to stop and remind myself what fifth grade actually means: eleven years old. This is the world of early puberty and “breast buds”, where childhood innocence meets a growing curiosity about sex, relationships and identity.
Marina recounts trips to Victoria’s Secret with her 80-year-old grandpa, bra shopping, and, by the age of fourteen, wanting the matching thong too. She clearly loves telling these stories, bringing a playful, knowing energy to the performance. At one point, she even flashes the very bra in question, turning personal recollection into a wonderfully cheeky theatrical moment.
There’s football with Giuseppe, flirtation with Chad, and an amusing interaction with Luke, who doesn’t like Marina’s attentions, culminating in a spitting incident. These encounters add to the colourful cast of characters who shape Marina’s developing understanding of attraction, desire and the often baffling business of growing up.
Throughout, the show’s strength lies in Marina’s willingness to revisit her younger self with humour and affection, finding comedy in the contradictions and confusions of adolescence. The animated imagery and offbeat references give the stories a distinctive personality, while her enthusiasm makes even the more outlandish anecdotes engaging.
And, of course, it all ends with a song.
3.5 stars.
Love in the Time of Fifth Grade was part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
For more on Marina di Marzo visit her website. You can also read my interview with Marina.
I reviewed this show from a recording supplied by Marina’s PR.