THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • FILM REVIEW | Avenger: Infinity War

    AVENGERS : INFINITY WAR – 10 years in the making, the culmination of Marvels record-breaking decade. 22 superheroes, the worst baddie of all time in the second most expensive movie in history… and this is just part 1 with part 2 coming next April.

    Nutshell – The ultimate bad guy Thanos has been positioning himself over the last 18 Marvel movies and now he is ready to strike. He needs 6 infinity stones in his glove like gauntlet to rule the entire universe and all that is between him and his dastardly plan is every superhero you can possibly think of. Surely this should be an easy job for our 22 finest lycra clad heroes but no way and they start to get killed off shockingly as this dude is truly unstoppable but which of your fave’s will survive…..you will be shocked and surprised

    Running Time – 149 minutes – PG.

    Tagline – ‘Where will you be when it all ends ?’ – probably in a cinema seat next April for the biggest money making movie in 100 years of cinema.

    The Gay UK Factor – So many fit men in one movie. We are hot for Chris Hemsworth, horny for Chris Patt, want children with Chadwick Boseman, an all-night sex orgy with either Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper or Idris Elba or preferably altogether and as for that beautiful young ass of Tom Holland… BUT and it’s a big but nothing could prepare us for the arrival of the new masculine furry faced rugged Chris Evans as Captain America – in a movie of 10 out of 10 gay sex objects this guy gets an 11 plus easily… we have not stopped wanking since we saw it and repeat viewings are guaranteed with extra tissues.

    Cast – Start with the list above and then add Robert Downey, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Dinklage, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, William Hurt and hundreds more in the most star-studded cast ever put in one movie this is big in every sense of the word.

    Key Player – In a movie of a hundred stars its difficult to pick one but Chis Pratt gets it as he is so damn funny throughout. He gets the best lines and the best action bringing his Quill character from The Guardians Of The Galaxy films to the biggest league ever…hot as hell also. The directing duo of Anthony and Joe Russo deserve much praise as this could have so easily been an indulgent dog’s dinner and it is anything but.

    Budget – $240 Million making it the second most expensive movie in history (Behind a Pirates of The Caribbean) but it made a profit in just 3 days of release with the record-breaking biggest opening ever. The film after one week is in the Top 50 grossing films of all time and the question is how high will it go? The most successful superhero movie ever? Will it topple Titanic and even beat Avatar? One thing’s for sure the second part will do even better – records are not being broken they are being totally destroyed.

    Best Bit – 0.19 mins; The first time the anti-establishment Guardians of the Galaxy meet the cocky as fuck Thor we get very funny wordplay which they keep up throughout. The best action sequence is probably Doctor Strange, Spiderman, Iron Man and The Hulks first battle in downtown New York but basically, there is not a miss-step here…

    Worst Bit – 1.02 mins … except Peter Dinklage’s giant dwarf which just does not work. The best thing from Game Of Thrones is the worst thing here but we forgive him.

    Little Secret – Tom Holland was not allowed to ever see the full script as he revealed far too much about the plot of Spiderman Homecoming previously… naughty boy. This beat all cinema opening records set by the Star Wars films and Jurassic World the only one it did not get was best Worldwide opening which is still held by the Fast And Furious franchise. The end message is ‘Thanos Will Return’ you betcha.

    Further Viewing – All 18 Marvel films including Black Panther, Antman, X-Men etc plus anything from the DC Universe such as Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman. Advance knowledge does help here.

    Any Good – If you like these sort of films you will be in seventh heaven here it’s as great as you expected and hoped for in your wildest dreams. If you are not a Marvel Studio geek then you may struggle here a bit if you have not seen most of the previous movies but sit back and enjoy it anyway. It may to some seem a bit episodic and the action and fight scenes are continuous and unrelenting. It is obvious that this is part one of two but sod it all this is amazing stuff and is a movie that will be talked about for decades. Steal a ticket now for Chris Evan’s hot sexy new look alone

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

    ★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

    Matthew Bourne's Cinderella review

    From the muted grey-scale colour palette of the opening act, through the smoke-filled streets of the Blitz and onto the underground dance halls of war-torn London, Matthew Bourne’s bold,  vivid and visually stunning reimagining of Cinderella is an utter delight. Doting to her father, mercilessly teased by her (extended) stepfamily and berated by her stepmother, Cinderella finds love amongst the destruction, as she falls for Harry, a dashing pilot.

    Bourne creates a world which is rich in characterisations, from the transformation of the mouse-like Cinderella into the belle of the ball to the Cruella de Ville style stepmother and the humorous, and deliciously creepy, foot-fetishist stepbrother. Every dancer tells an individual story, and each character has their own tale to tell. Yet despite having so much to look at, Bourne’s choreography seamlessly blends dance styles including lindy hop, jazz and ballet to create a clearly defined and easy to follow narrative; and there is a tangible sense of atmosphere permeating the theatre both within and throughout every scene. But underneath the fairy tale spectacle of it all, is a slightly darker story of love, yearning and belonging, bringing with it the power to pack an emotional punch.

    In a cast of technically precise dancers, Ashley Shaw is captivating as the titular heroine, whilst Andrew Monaghan simply excelled as he cut a swathe across the floor as the dashing pilot, proving that the romanticised notion of the leading man is still very much around. Lez Brotherston’s set design is superb, reflecting the hum-drum monotony of Cinderella’s home life in Act 1 before (quite literally) exploding into a riot of colour and movement in the second act and continuing to surprise well into Act 3. The show has a cinematic quality and feel to it, and is as inventive and multi-layered as it is visually exciting.

    Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is a phenomenal breath-taking production which is absolutely sublime on every level.

    The show runs at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until 19th May 2018 before continuing on its national tour. New Adventures has recently announced a new national tour for Swan Lake for 2018/19

  • This woman accidentally sent her friends a live photo, while her Fiancé got his monster out

    “It’s huge”

    Moments later the boyfriend appears with his monster!

    And we’re not talking about the rock on her finger.

    Imagine if you will, your beloved has just proposed to you and planted a huge ring and rock on your finger. Naturally, you want to send a photo of that bling to your friends / the world. But here’s where some caution is needed – especially if you haven’t swapped your photo setting from “live photo” to just normal “photo”.

    Live Photo is a feature on the iPhoto which captures a few moments before and after you click the shutter – meaning you get a small video clip instead of a single photo. Brilliant if you want to capture more than just a second in history – not so great if your boyfriend is likely to whip out his D, while you show off to the world your new jewel.

    Which is exactly what happened to this woman, who sent a Live Photo to her friends – while her hung future husband, whipped it out. Such a romantic.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | How It Is By Samuel Beckett, Coronet Print Room Theatre

    ★★★★☆ | How It Is

    How It Is By Samuel Beckett, Coronet Print Room Theatre
    How It Is By Samuel Beckett, Coronet Print Room Theatre

    Do I have to slide cocks up my a** to write about gay theatre? Or shag up-for-it nymphomaniacs to dissect heterosexual art? By that logic, I’d have to be a practicing serial killer, a Jeffrey Dahmer in pantyhose, to appreciate Silence of the Lambs! So – having exposed and pushed the absurdities of that laughably reductive thinking waaaay to one side, let’s objectively appraise How It Is, a purgatorial, afterlife masterpiece from the fevered genius of Samuel Beckett, one of Ireland’s greatest ever writers!

    Never heard of him? Oh come now, that’s barely credible. Why, Waiting for Godot, Beckett’s theatrical debut, revealed prodigious, game-changing talent, sufficient to alter the entire course of the Western world’s modes of dramatic discourse. Simply put, Beckett, most often, dramatises monologuing consciousness on either the point of death, or immediately beyond, in some utterly unknowable afterlife. And it’s that sense of psychological extremity – going where no queens have gone before – that knots his artistic DNA firmly into the fabulous beyond that defines so much LGBT theatre. Again and again – as in Alexis Gregory’s recently-staged Sex/Crime – diversity drama routinely accesses states of mind, situations and politically contested identity wholly unknown to heterosexual, mainstream audiences. To name just three, K-holes, cum lollies and sauna-house sex-orgies barely enter the dreams, or stain the yearning nightmares, of Joe and Jill Public. Frankly, considered as the ripe, luscious and shockingly perverse fruits of an entire community, LGBT artistry has charged and enlarged subject matter inconceivable to previous, genteel and sexually lobotomised, generations.

    Still, Beckett – even if his work owes virtually nothing to any known form of sexual persuasion – takes us on exhilarating journeys to the limits of human consciousness. Think viciously addictive K-holes laced with severe existentialism, as we’re plunged, repeatedly, into theatrical experiences offering little more than static performers ranting in sparsely-lit spaces. How, then, can such raw, spartan materials provide riveting, arse-clenching excitement?

    Easily. Take the Republic of Ireland’s Gare St. Lazare theatre company, currently unleashing Beckett’s How It Is at Notting Hill’s breathtakingly gorgeous, Art Deco Coronet Print Room theatre. This, frankly, is theatre as psychological assault course; immediately, we’re metaphorically kidnapped, trussed up, and – quite probingly – interrogated. How? Well, by deploying the dramatic equivalent of anal sex – reversing the so-called, ‘natural’ order, replacing exits with unexpected entrances. Which, here, means sitting an audience on the stage and setting the actors – and action – in the raked stalls and balcony circling that stage.

    Disconcerting? As f*ck – instantly, and just as in consensual S&M, one’s constrained yet feels a paradoxical sense of liberation, of being fed carefully-rationed ecstasies that permit joy only by strictly-directed pathways. And – make no mistake – theatre rarely comes any bleaker, with such huge demands blissfully rewarding rapt attention.

    Ultimately, this is theatre raw, stripped and immediate, with a narrative as brief, stark and thrillingly erotic as Christ being summarily condemned and crucified. Initially, one lone voice in the darkness – an unnamed narrator – speaks of three states of existence, being alone, with, and finally without ‘Pim’, his or her presumed companion. Three performers – Conor Lovett, Stephen Dillane and Mel Mercier – tackle Beckett’s dense, repetitive text like an overlapping, choral immersion in stately sonic tidal waves, as, gradually, a narrative – of sorts – emerges.

    Naked, an unnamed soul slithers in endless mud and darkness clutching a sack inexhaustibly – and inexplicably – replenished with cans of sardines. He’s joined -again inexplicably- by another, communicating by jabbing a can-opener in the other’s buttocks, stabbing out Morse code messages. Yes, it’s a submissive, role-playing queen’s ultimate wet-dream, but – with nothing except intermittent bursts of light, dry ice, and the hoarse rubbing of actor’s voices in transfixed cadences – we’re collectively cajoled into instantaneously synthesising Beckett’s purgatorial hell inside our minds. If theatre, finally, is nothing, but voices, lights, gestures and consenting imagination, the Gare St. Lazare company take that haphazard, shockingly artistic marriage to sheer transcendence. We wait, quite simply, in delighted awe for their future liaisons with the shatteringly bleak -but dramatically irresistible- voices of Samuel Beckett.

     

    How It Is By Samuel Beckett @ Coronet Print Room Theatre, Notting Hill Gate to May 19th. 0203-642-6606. 4 Stars!

  • Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd gay it up for new movie Ideal Home

    A new gay comedy is about to hit our screens, but instead of hiring gay actors to play gay roles, Ideal Home has comedy legend Steve Coogan partnered with Paul Rudd.

    Living the high life and “playing as hard as they work” and described as “flamboyant” (because that’s what gay men in films are) Steve Coogan and his long-term director boyfriend Paul’s (Rudd) self-centred lives are turned upside down when Coogan’s estranged grandson, Bill (played by Jack Gore), unexpectedly turns up at their door, after his father is taken away to serve time in prison.

    Oh no. You mean the gays are going to have to be responsible?

    Oh, and you can’t unsee the scene where Coogan is being topped by Rudd.

    We’ll leave the trailer here for you.

    Oh if you want to feel just a little bit more offended by this… here’s the poster

    In cinemas from 6th July 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Soap, Underbelly Festival Southbank, London

    ★★★★☆ | Soap, Underbelly Festival Southbank

    Add a little bit of burlesque, a little bit of comedy, sprinkle a bit of singing, and add lots and lots of water, and what you have are the perfect ingredients for ‘Soap’ – now playing on the Southbank at the Underbelly Festival in the world famous Spiegeltent.

    And German circus ‘Soap’ is not just about water. It’s also about the talented performances that take place right in front of our very eyes performed in the round, and have mercy for the poor people who sit in the front (and second and third) rows – there’s water water everywhere.

    But it’s all good fun watching the sexy Anton Belyakov splish-splashing in the bathtub, Marie-Andrée Lemaire running around the stage as our guide and hostess for the evening. And then there is Moritz Haase, who oh so innocently is ‘plucked’ from the audience but soon enough is prancing around on stage. We’re lucky to see the sexy Daniel Leo Stern with his shirt off for most of the show, and Jennifer Lindshield, with her powerful voice providing operatic music for the spellbound crowd. There’s even a mop ballet and an amazing rain finale that will literally leave you wet. If you don’t believe me, have a look at these pictures:

    SOAP – celebrating all things circus in The Spiegeltent – is just a splash away from the Thames, and the actual birthplace of circus 250 years ago!

    Underbelly Festival is back for its tenth year on the Southbank.
    Venue: The Spiegeltent, Underbelly Festival Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX.

    Located in-between Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens and the London Eye.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Chess, London Coliseum

    ★★★ | Chess, London Coliseum

    Chess is a show about Chess……and it sort of works!

    This new production is its first in London’s West End in over 30 years. With music and lyrics by Tim Rice and the two B’s in ABBA (Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, Chess, which deals with the intense chess rivalry between the U.S. and USSR in the cold war days of the 1980s, has a political message that’s just as timely now as it was back then.
    But, you might ask, how exciting is a show about the game of chess? Well, the real answer is not very exciting, nor it is very sexy. Chess can easily be described as an opera, and if opera is your thing, then you’ll will love this show. For the rest of us who like catchy memorable tunes and some razzle-dazzle and great choreography ensemble dancing, i.e. Chicago and almost everything else playing in the West End, then you will be bored at ‘Chess.’ However, Chess, which specifically deals with the rivalry between Anatoly Sergievsky (an amazing Michael Ball) and an inappropriately named Freddie Trumpier (Tim Howar) – both fictional characters – is slow to build, very slow. I was actually quite bored in the first half, but by the end of the show, I was standing on my feet.
    This is not because the storyline is great or the ensemble dancing was amazing (it wasn’t), it’s because of the truly talented singers on stage. Ball, who was the original Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, commands the stage in every song he sings. Cassidy Johnson, who plays Florence, Freddie’s agent who happens to fall in love with Anatoly, is almost as good. Johnson, who most recently played Carole King in ‘Beautiful,’ has quite a few showstoppers, including the famous hit ‘I Know Him So Well.’ Also included in the cast is  X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, who shows up in the second half, and makes a great effort in playing Anatoly’s suffering wife.
    Chess starts out as Freddie arrives in Russia on a plane, cleverly staged, to take on Anatoly in a chess match to determine who is the world champion. But besides the match, Chess is, as previously mentioned, about the cold war, and the longstanding chess rivalry between both countries. It’s cleverly staged, with cutting edges to resemble a chess board, with video screens that show close up the actor’s facial emotions while they sing. And while some of the musical numbers don’t seem to work (’One Night in Bangkok’ is a bit out of place as well as an over-the-top American cheerleader sequence, and a video tribute to former chess champions has no impact), Sergievsky and Trumpier’s chess rivalry is just as intense as is the political situation between both countries then and now. Would I recommend you taking a gamble to go see Chess? The answer is yes!

    CHESS plays at the London Coliseum until the 2nd June

     

  • Christina Aguilera has returned! Review: Accelerate ft. Ty Dolla $ign, 2 Chainz

    ★★★★☆ | It’s been 6 agonising years of waiting for Christina Aguilera fans all over the world as the pop icon has been teasing and “promising” a new album since 2013 after her last, “Lotus”, was barely promoted and hardly made a wave on any charts. But finally, she is back.

    CREDIT: XTINA / INSTAGRAM

    “Accelerate” is the first single from her upcoming album, titled Liberation, featuring hot-right-now rappers Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz and it is a certainly a surprise, to say the least. The majority of people may have expected the lead single to be an uptempo, sexual pop-club banger with an iconic hook, lots of melisma and big belts in the vein of “Dirrty”, “Not Myself Tonight” and “Your Body”, but what we are served instead is a sexy, mid-tempo, urban-influenced sound with reigned in, sultry vocals.

    Tribal-inspired drums and bass beats kickstart the song before Christina rap-sings the first verse in a style similar to Beyoncé in “7/11” and “Formation”, just in a much less brash way. “New York, worldwide / Borders my city / Just pulled up to the hotel / All my day ones here with me”, she says as Ty Dolla $ign echoes in the background. Throughout the song she rarely transitions into her singing voice, save for the chorus and ending but when she does she ironically keeps it no higher than second gear. The song talks of a hook-up, which is not so different to her previous lead singles except for “Ain’t No Other Man”, but this time the lyrics are slightly more subtle. “Accelerate, c’mon babe / Pick up your speed / Stamina, fill me up / That’s what I need”, coos Xtina seductively in the chorus which is unusually short but still addictive.

    2 Chainz guest raps the bridge, though his presence is perhaps unnecessary and adds little to the song, which seems to take a good chunk of 30 seconds we could have had of Christina singing instead. The last minute of the track has Christina bringing the tempo down even further in an almost breathy, post-sex kind of way as she repeats “ooh ooh ooh / ooh ooh ooh” and ends with hypnotically pretty, harmonised falsetto runs that fans may be feel are similar to songs like “Sex For Breakfast” from “Bionic”.

    “Accelerate” may not be what most were expecting to hear, but with Christina she’s proven time and time again you can never know what to expect from her. Once described as “caviar ratchet” by producers Da Internz (who as of yet are unconfirmed as to whether their songs with her made the final cut), Christina’s new sound appears to be just that – a much more electro-R&B and hip-hop driven style that has moved with the current trend of pop music. Although reminiscent of younger pop stars’ efforts who cite her as an influence, such as Ariana Grande’s “Into You” and “Good For You” by Selena Gomez, “Accelerate” is a mature, erotically-charged cut that still cements her as a force to be reckoned with, with her richer, unmistakable tone setting her apart. It might not have everyone slut-dropping and gyrating hard in the clubs (though it may inspire some slow, sexual dancing and making out), but its a grower after several listens when you have to accept that this particular song of hers does not include climactic and almost impossibly hard to copy high notes.

    CREDIT: XTINA / INSTAGRAM

    The song’s music video, directed by Zoey Grossman, features Christina in little to no makeup similar to her recent Paper magazine cover shoot and is a combination of slightly trippy and slightly arousing but also somewhat minimalistic. Gone are the controversially revealing clothes except for a blazer and nothing else underneath, and brief shots of bare breasts with nipple tape, and instead we get a very simple and casual street look from her. Though the video is predominantly in black and white, we get the odd shot of Xtina in colour under pink-hued lighting as she suggestively smothers her lips and tongue in glitter and drenches herself in what we can only guess is lots of lube but sure looks Dirrty as fuck.

    The single is available to download and stream and the video is now on YouTube. “Liberation”, which includes a much-anticipated collaboration with fellow big-voiced diva Demi Lovato called “Fall In Line”, is out on 15th June. Whether or not we do get to hear the songstress’ more signature vocal styling on the rest of the album though – which we’re sure will be on the aforementioned duet with Demi, is something we’ll just have to await impatiently for.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas – National Tour

    Falling somewhere between a tribute act and a musical revue, The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas, brings together the kings of cool, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jr, as they play a fictional night of variety on the stage of the Sands Hotel. Renowned for their old boy’s club style of camaraderie and songs that defined a generation, the three leads rattle their way through their classics, including You Make Me Feel So Young, That’s Amore, Mack The Knife and My Way.

    With a sparse set and little changing visually throughout the show, there is a reliance on the songs and performances to carry the production. The aces in the pack here are Stephen Triffitt with an intonation and vocal style which is undeniably Sinatra and Nicola Emmanuel with a naturally soulful, jazz infused voice as Ella Fitzgerald. But the show’s greatest strengths lies is in its musical numbers, and whilst the classic status of the songs is undeniable, the real joy was to hear them accompanied by a live orchestra creating a sound which reverberated in your chest, and with not a synthesizer or drum machine in sight.

    Despite its musical prowess, the show stumbles with an over indulgence of on stage banter which grows old and tiresome towards the end, whilst the portrayal of Dean Martin’s alcohol use descended from witty observation into comedic parody; but it was the racist, misogynistic and homophobic jokes which sat the most uncomfortably, and whilst they may have been reflective of the time, there doesn’t feel any reason why they should have been included for a modern audience.

    But there is still plenty of pleasure to be found here, with a barrage of songs, toe-tapping beats and singalong classics coming together to form a fairly undemanding evening of entertainment.

    The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 5th May 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre

    Bat Out of Hell returns – and it’s just as rocked up and fantastic as it was when it played in London its first time around.

    Bat Out of Hell had a sold out run at the London Coliseum last year, and it was practically begging to open again – and it has – this time in a bigger venue (Dominion Theatre). It’s the same story – a musical set to Meat Loaf’s mega-selling 1977 album of the same name. While some of the actors have not returned from it’s original run, it’s still a rocktastic, fun and mega exciting ride.

    Raven (Christina Bennington – returning from the original show) is literally locked up in a mega mansion in the sky by her parents Falco (Rob Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Raven is a lonely girl – she’s not allowed outside at all – but she really wants to experience the outside world, to ride the subway, to meet a boy. In the outside world Strat (Andrew Polec) leads a gang of nomads and hangers on, and he’s always dreamt of catching the girl – particularly Raven, but she’s not available. So all sorts of musical mayhem takes place including Strat trying to kidnap Raven so that him and her can be together. Meanwhile, one of the gang members (a fabulous Danielle Steers – returning) is slowly falling in love with another gang member, while she’s actually a maid in the Falco household. She knows their secrets, and lies.

    This is the story, in a nutshell, but the way it’s told is spectacular. Motorcycles, explosions, video projection, skimpy costumes, a convertible on stage that was formerly a dining room table, and said convertible plunging off the stage into the orchestra pit – it’s all musical mayhem – from a rock classic album, and it is just as good on stage as it is on the album and when it played at the Coliseum. The cast dance and prance on stage, and with most of the songs dealing with love, Bat Out of Hell is a love story set to rock music. It’s loud, it’s crazy, it’s superb!

    BAT OUT OF HELL is currently booking until 27 October 2018.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Fat Friends The Musical – Glasgow

    ★★★☆☆ | Fat Friends The Musical, Glasgow

    *Review taken from the Sheffield production*

    As her wedding day approaches, Kelly buys her dream wedding dress, even though it is two sizes too small for her.

    When Julia Fleshman, the head of a national slimming club chain, comes to town to judge a slimming contest live on TV, Kelly ends up going viral with her body confident comments; and seizing the opportunity for some publicity, Fleshman offers to pay for Kelly’s wedding if she can slim into the dress in time for the big day. But with the wedding only six weeks away, the pressure is on…

    Fat Friends is very much a piece of crowd-pleasing theatre. Pulling together multiple stories of the good folk of Headingly, a town near Leeds, the stage is filled with likeable, if slightly caricatured, characters and is a straightforward evening of undemanding fun.

    The show boasts a good cast, with Jodie Prenger taking the lead as Kelly, and doing so with a cocky northern confidence and a belting singing voice. Sam Bailey (The X-Factor) is great as Kelly’s Mum and Natasha Hamilton (from Atomic Kitten) is the scheming Julia Fleshman. Thrown into the mix is an affable turn from Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street) and ex-cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, who takes to the stage and fares better than expected with a slightly stilted, if not tongue in cheek, portrayal of Kevin, Kelly’s nice but dim fiancé.

    The songs are amiable enough and used to move the story forward, and whilst they were perfectly pleasant to listen to and shoehorned a few laughs into the lyrics, they served their purpose well enough in terms of keeping up the show upbeat and jolly, but were ultimately fairly forgettable. The live orchestra added to the atmosphere within the theatre and the set design was a colourful cartoonish affair which was well lit and effective in its simplicity.

    Written and directed by Kay Mellor, who wrote the original TV series that the show is based on; Fat Friends is a rather loud, boisterous and upbeat show, which really resonates with its target audience. It’s a rather clichéd musical by numbers, with a heavy-handed script, fairly trite lyrics and a rather unsubtle approach to its humour, but what it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with likeable characters, a few good belly laughs and buckets-full of near the knuckle, northern charm.

    Fat Friends is at the King’s Theatre Glasgow, Glasgow until the 5th May 2018, book tickets click here