EDINBURGH 2019: Review: UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA, Underbelly

Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area is a musical that is set in a supermarket. An original musical by Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society it promises an absurd hour of hilarious songs from the team behind Six.

Does it deliver? Quite simply, no. The songs are irritating and I found myself clock watching after seven minutes which is never a good sign.

The characters are awful. Karen (also referred to as Barren Karen- tasteful) lives alone with her cats and for some inexplicable reason eats cat food herself. Bridget the floor manager is self-obsessed and every gag is about how much she loves herself. Phyllis works on the fish counter and has a song about her secret love for Bridget, peppered with suggestive fish references which just made me cringe.

The only redeeming element of this show was that the musicians onstage were talented and the cast did have good singing voices. They definitely deserved better than this material.

While the plot is 'unexpected' (as they sing many, many times) I just couldn't bring myself to care about the story at all. The characters are so unlikeable, the content is offensive and I just couldn't wait for it to end.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/unexpected-item-in-the-bagging-area

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