The Producers of Fat Friends must have been delighted to have created this new show. Based on the highly successful TV and film writer Kay Mellor's four season TV show of the same name which ended in March 2005 with the music written by Lloyd Webber (Nick, not Andrew) and a cast including the winner of BBC's "I'd do anything", an ITV's 2013 X Factor winner, A Channel 5 Celebrity Big Brother female winner, Curly Watts from ITV Coronation street until 2003 and a cricket legend making his musical theatre debut. Add to this a theme of female body image and media obsession with weight loss and they have created a production that is certain to generate local interest in each of its 16 city venues on tour. Judging by the full house on the opening nights of the tour at Southampton's very large Mayflower Theatre that interest is being converted into ticket sales to a largely female audience, although it was the arrival on stage of Freddie Flintoff that generated a round of applause of recognition.
Flintoff plays Kevin, the rather forlorn simple Yorkshire lad who is in love with Kelly played by Jodie Prenger, the BBC series winner. Flintoff relies on his natural charm and physical presence to carry him through the show. When he returns home from his stag do you can't help reflecting how he must be drawing on that glorious night in 2005 when he celebrated the Ashes win, if he has any memories of it! He is a great sport throughout and makes a valiant attempt in his solo number "the only fool is me" but he is no match for the trained singers around him. I hope he does not regret signing up for the long tour.
