EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2009: REVIEW - FAT CLUB THE MUSICAL, C +2, August 13 2009

Slimming clubs are places where the overweight, the chubby or the just plain normal-sized are bullied by sadistic thin people. At least that seems to be the premise of this confusing little piece.

The moral is along the right lines - if you're happy and healthy, it doesn't matter what you look like. Equally, though, the emphasis on fat being attractive and the polar opposite to thinness is jarring - for a show with the message that you need to love yourself, its demonisation of the slender is uncomfortable.

The fact that none of the fat club members look overweight at all doesn't help; Stephanie Mott, playing Jessica, is probably the biggest of the bunch, but she is so stunningly alluring that it's unthinkable that anyone would castigate her for her "chunkiness". It's also unclear why the group members keep turning up - none of them seem to particularly want to lose weight, and they all despise their bullying group leader.

It's another unmiked show with ridiculously loud recorded backing tracks, meaning some weak vocals get totally overwhelmed - this is particularly the case with Euan Forsyth, playing Henry, who seems utterly ill at ease with singing and moving on stage.

Elisa Amore's script strays into the clichéd at times; the budding love story between Pete (Jonathan James) and Molly (Amelia Rose) could be touching but needs more development, as does Sarah's (Amy O'Neill) descent into depression. Michael Wetherburn's music is fine as far as it goes but overly loud in this small space. All in all, an interesting work in progress with potential; with much more polish this could be a very tight, very relevant ensemble piece.