REVIEW: Fat Friends at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

Unfortunately, it was more like a recipe for disaster.

I’d been looking forward to this show since I first heard it was coming to the Mayflower. After all, having seen these vocal powerhouses perform before, I knew it was bound to be a treat.

Sadly, this production does not lend itself to their undeniable talent. Their voices are so much better than the largely forgettable songs would allow them to showcase. Sam Bailey’s riffing in the curtain call was testament to that.

Based on the television show from the noughties, Kay Mellor’s stage adaptation just doesn’t work. As a slimming club member myself, I found the depiction of weigh-ins accurate and, in parts, amusing. However the jokes soon got stale and the storyline was poor.

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff was popular with the audience whilst Natasha Hamilton was convincing as villainous Julia Fleshman. Kevin Kennedy, best known as Corrie’s Curly Watts, also featured.

Regrettably, with the exception of an amusing song in each half, I was really disappointed. However, I cannot stress enough that this was not the fault of the cast.

I won’t be going back for seconds.

Until Saturday.