Introducing US comedian and actor Olivia Levine who is performing her debut hour ‘Unstuck’ at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Just The Tonic @ the Mash House Bottle Room.
‘Unstuck’ is a candid comedy show about one woman’s quest to embrace her queer sexuality. Levine begins the show by explaining that she used to masturbate in public as a child – concealed, but in public. Inside cinemas, on airplanes and even in Spanish class. But when the reality of what she was doing sunk in, she banned herself from masturbating and plunged into a deep shame spiral about her sexual desires. During this time, Levine’s OCD started to rear its head, as she tried to cope with the shame of her ‘sinful behavior.’
Levine explains that, after a few years, she was able to forgive herself for her public displays of sexuality. However, her discomfort with her body started to manifest via new fears and behaviours such as an obsession with the (im)possibility of impregnating her mother with her discharge and killing her father with her vagina germs. Through impressions, standup and storytelling, Levine takes us through her most awkward and tumultuous years, which were filled with profound shame and confusion.
Olivia Levine is a queer actor, comedian and writer based in Brooklyn. Originally from San Francisco, she moved to NY for college, and received her B.A. in Theatre from Barnard. Other training includes The Studio/NY, Uprights Citizens Brigade (UCB), and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London). In 2020, she did a month-long run of ‘Unstuck’, at the Tank NYC. The show garnered critical acclaim and was revived at the same location in 2023.
Her first short film, LET LIV, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2023. Levine wrote and starred in the film alongside Christine Taylor (Zoolander, Arrested Development) and Rosaline Elbay (Ramy, Kaleidoscope). The film was also a finalist at Film Pipeline 2023, and showed at Montclair Film Festival, Slovakia Queer Film Fest, and many others. She is presently developing the feature film version with director Erica Rose. Other film credits include Tallulah opposite Allison Janney, and I Hate Kids with Tituss Burgess and Tom Everett Scott.
Olivia Levine: ‘Unstuck’ is at Just The Tonic - The Mash House Bottle Room @ 7.30pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
What is the last thing you do before you go onstage (apart from check your flies and/or check your knickers aren't sticking out of your skirt and check for spinach between your teeth)
Right before I go on stage I sniff my armpits, hoping that I stink just a little bit, because a small stench keeps me on my toes. I also say "Flashdance baby" under my breath, because that's what my mom used to say to me before all of my football matches when I was a kid (in reference to Jennifer Beals' final performance in the seminal 1983 film).
What irritates you?
My old flatmate Dylan is a total dear, but he makes smacking noises with his mouth when he has a dry tongue, and it drives me absolutely bonkers. It also really irritates me when people aren't being themselves. I find it hard to engage with inauthenticity. Other than that, I am honestly pretty difficult to annoy!
What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done?
I only recently learned to drive (I am 31 oops) and I was driving my girlfriend to the pharmacy, and I forgot which one was the gas and which one was the brake. I pressed the gas right as a car was speeding down the highway I was about to intersect with. Thankfully, shortly thereafter I located the brake, and we both lived to tell the tale. But my girlfriend has never forgotten that moment, and one year into my driving career, I have sort of already retired...
What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?
Once when I was younger, I was frustrated by how long it was taking to shave my legs, so I decided I would try a new technique. I took the razor and just started moving it rapidly up and down, up and down my legs in a sort of scrubbing motion. I got the job done quickly, and was super pleased with myself. Then, thirty seconds later, each of my legs started bleeding profusely :)
What has surprised you the most during your career in comedy?
I think I am very pleasantly surprised by how comfortable I have become on stage. Which I suppose seems obvious, but it really is wonderful. When I think of how I felt on stage 10 years ago, or when I look back at old clips, I realize how much I was still coming into myself. Of course I thought I knew exactly who I was, knew exactly what I wanted. But really, I was so concerned with getting everything RIGHT. I was terrified of taking risks, terrified of rejection. I used to pride myself on the fact that I never really bombed. But gradually, I came to see that for what it was -- a fear of jumping into the unknown. I was a very controlled comedian when I started out, very consistent. But maybe I didn't have as many magically present moments as I could've because of that fear of failure. As I've evolved as a human and performer, I have started to push myself to take more risks, to embrace failure as a jumping off point rather than a point of no return!
Interview continues here
