REVIEW - FAT CHANCE - EDINBURGH FRINGE -

Rachel Stockdale is a benefit-class, plus size northern woman. She’s also an actress, and as she was once told by a casting director, in this industry you can only be 2 of these three things – female, northern and fat. Fat Chance tells Stockdale’s story.

Fat Chance begins with Stockdale having a meltdown as she can’t find an outfit which looks nice on her. She says to the audience ‘why do we have a total meltdown before big events even when were happy with ourselves?’ And it’s a great question. Why do we?

The lamp on stage is Stockdale’s boyfriend ‘Smelly’ – both are from Newcastle, and Smelly’s voiceover is quite difficult to understand at times due to sheer speed of his speech.

The play is centred around the challenges of Rachel’s life as a fat actress, on her journey to body neutrality, something which we should all aim to achieve. Packed full of emotion, she tackles topics including, dieting, bringing up the Cambridge Diet and its starvation plan for ‘obese’ people. She also talks about the origins of the Body Mass Index Scale and how it’s a flawed tool. She highlights the discrimination she’s been subjected to within her career, how she stopped receiving audition offers when she put her dress size on her Spotlight profile. And was offered the most roles in her career when she’d lost weight. Imagine if other industries did this!

There is a moment within the show where Stockdale is attempting to fit into her wedding dress. This moment is filled with intensity, and the emotion is palpable. Stockdale sings during the show, her honest lyrics will simultaneously break your heart and make you laugh.

Fat Chance was exactly what I needed right at that moment. We all feel the consequences of fatphobia and diet culture in daily life. We live in a society that praises weight loss without ever caring what dangerous things someone may have done to lose weight. Stockdale is a captivating storyteller, and her play is raw and honest, she’s incredibly relatable. I’m sure many members of the audience have dealt with similar situations in their life.

Fat Chance truly is a superb one-woman performance that highlights some incredibly important issues. There’s some fine tuning necessary, but Stockdale’s story is one which needs to be told. And fatphobia and diet culture need to be destroyed.

{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}

ON ME – REVIEW – WATERSIDE ARTS
by Jennifer Roberts
On Me is a play by Caroline Lamb of Dangerous To Know Theatre Company. It is presented at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale before touring to Bolton Library, after its award-winning run at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2022. It is followed by a short post-show Q&A, with speakers from domestic violence charities working in Manchester and academics studying the psychology of abuse and abusers. We are introduced to Shona (Leah Eddleston) and Christian (Alexi Papadopoulos), actors recreating domestic violence for a true crime documentary. As they get closer, the threads of fact and fiction begin to tangle,and the story gets a little bit too close for comfort. I always find that plays shine … More ON ME – REVIEW – WATERSIDE ARTS
SWEAT – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE
by Jennifer Roberts
After being commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to write a play about the American Revolution, Lynn Nottage wrote SWEAT eerily close to the announcement of Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy. It is revived in Manchester by director Jade Lewis for the Royal Exchange Theatre. Spanning 2000 and 2008, SWEAT follows a group of friends and their families in Reading, Pennsylvania as they grapple with the closure of the factory they all work at and the tensions that rise as a result of the turbulent economic times. The standout performances come from Abdul Sessay as Chris, on the cusp of freedom until he makes a … More SWEAT – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE
DAVID HOYLE: STILL GOT IT…? – REVIEW – AVIVA STUDIOS
by Jennifer Roberts
Still Got It is the culmination of David Hoyle’s three weekresidency at Aviva Studios, where friends old and new are brought together for a celebration of avant-garde performance art and old school drag. With guest performances from dance troupe the Glitterbomb Dancers and drag queen Veda Lady, Still Got It is a celebration of David Hoyle’s life, his work, and us – who still have it. The Aviva Studios’ main stage boasts an impressive 1600-person capacity, the size of the stage at times proved to be a challenge for some performers, who are clearly more used to small stages. Hoyle’s own performance was by far the strongest part … More DAVID HOYLE: STILL GOT IT…? – REVIEW – AVIVA STUDIOS
PIPPIN IN CONCERT – REVIEW – THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
by Amy Rye
Pippin premiered on Broadway in 1972 and in the West End the following year. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Roger O. Hirson, the musical tells the story of Pippin, heir to the throne, as he embarks on a quest to find himself. Now back in London for two nights only, in a concert production directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, which celebrates the show’s 50th anniversary – with an all-star cast. There have been a lot of musical theatre concert productions recently, however this might just be the best one yet. Played with a full orchestra, and a full choir, this joyous score is brought to life … More PIPPIN IN CONCERT – REVIEW – THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
RAGE ROOM – REVIEW – TRAVERSE THEATRE
by Ella Catherall
This review contains spoilers for the show’s ending. I would usually work around this when reviewing, but it is unfortunately key to the discussion of the show and its flaws. Going to script-in-hand presentations of plays in early stages of development can be a really rewarding experience. Sometimes you get to see a show that, although rough around the edges, is clearly going to become something really special. However, it can mean seeing a show that really does need a lot of development and this was unfortunately the case with Rage Room, a new play by Mhairi Quinn presented as … More RAGE ROOM – REVIEW – TRAVERSE THEATRE

ON ME – REVIEW – WATERSIDE ARTS
by Jennifer Roberts
On Me is a play by Caroline Lamb of Dangerous To Know Theatre Company. It is presented at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale before touring to Bolton Library, after its award-winning run at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2022. It is followed by a short post-show Q&A, with speakers from domestic violence charities working in Manchester and academics studying the psychology of abuse and abusers. We … More ON ME – REVIEW – WATERSIDE ARTS
SWEAT – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE
by Jennifer Roberts
After being commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to write a play about the American Revolution, Lynn Nottage wrote SWEAT eerily close to the announcement of Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy. It is revived in Manchester by director Jade Lewis for the Royal Exchange Theatre. Spanning 2000 and 2008, SWEAT follows a group of friends and their families in Reading, … More SWEAT – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE
DAVID HOYLE: STILL GOT IT…? – REVIEW – AVIVA STUDIOS
by Jennifer Roberts
Still Got It is the culmination of David Hoyle’s three weekresidency at Aviva Studios, where friends old and new are brought together for a celebration of avant-garde performance art and old school drag. With guest performances from dance troupe the Glitterbomb Dancers and drag queen Veda Lady, Still Got It is a celebration of David Hoyle’s life, his work, and us … More DAVID HOYLE: STILL GOT IT…? – REVIEW – AVIVA STUDIOS
PIPPIN IN CONCERT – REVIEW – THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
by Amy Rye
Pippin premiered on Broadway in 1972 and in the West End the following year. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Roger O. Hirson, the musical tells the story of Pippin, heir to the throne, as he embarks on a quest to find himself. Now back in London for two nights only, in … More PIPPIN IN CONCERT – REVIEW – THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
RAGE ROOM – REVIEW – TRAVERSE THEATRE
by Ella Catherall
This review contains spoilers for the show’s ending. I would usually work around this when reviewing, but it is unfortunately key to the discussion of the show and its flaws. Going to script-in-hand presentations of plays in early stages of development can be a really rewarding experience. Sometimes you get to see a show that, … More RAGE ROOM – REVIEW – TRAVERSE THEATRE