Review: EDINBURGH 2024: COME DINE WITH ME: THE MUSICAL, Underbelly, Bristo Square

“People are really just . . . Weird”

Created by Nell Butler and Genevieve Welch, Come Dine With Me: The Musical. is a musical adaptation of the hit television series that has four strangers cook meals for one another, ranking them in order to win the grand prize by the end.

Written by Sam Norman with music by Aaron King, the show follows not only the contestants on the show but also those filming it, particularly the producer, Mary, camera operator, Roy, and sound man, Teddy. For Come Dine With Me’s 1,000th episode, the team in filming in Little Stonking, Teddy’s hometown.

The beginning has a very Mischief-esque preshow, with Mary going around the audience and asking them questions, Roy and Teddy following. We begin seeing a bit of their characters, including the clumsiness of Teddy as he accidentally hits audience members with the microphone as they travel around.

We are introduced to our four contestants - Barbara, a well-spoken woman with an obsession with French cuisine, Ernest, a student activism determined to prove the superiority of veganism, Duncan, the self-proclaimed “Pork Pie King” and Janey, a 24-year-old musician who was childhood friends with Teddy. But, things quickly grow dramatic as the crew discovers that one of the contestants is sabotaging the others and they are determined to figure out who it is, making for more drama for the television series. 

The songs are quite repetitive, with an exception being the rock song sung by Duncan about his role as the “Pork Pie King” and how much he loves eating meat, a direct contrast to Ernest’s song about joining the “Vegan Club.” The performers are all talented, making the most out of what they have been given by the creative team. It should be noted that the show has a pretty decent set for a Fringe show, feeling more developed than others that are taking place at the festival. 

Unfortunately, while the show has an interesting concept and some cute moments, it is a shame that it focuses so much on the romance between Teddy and Janey and fails to actually go into detail on the competition itself, the subject that most people probably have come to the show for. I would have loved to see some more “behind-the-scenes” moments including the contestants coming up with their scores for one another and the reactions of the contestants to each other’s meals. The concept of the saboteur is fun but feels undeveloped, making the plot as a whole quite rushed. 

Come Dine With Me: The Musical is a cute parody of the iconic television series but struggles to find its focus and ends up leaving the main show behind in favour of a romance plot.

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