Channel 4’s tea-time television staple Come Dine With Me is the focus of the parody musical, Come Dine With Me: The Musical. This peppy musical comedy breezes through its hour-long run time in the Underbelly’s Cowbarn at this Edinburgh Festival Fringe, yet the musical numbers, uninspired gags, and overly conventional narrative make this more McDonald’s Happy Meal than Michelin-star feast.
This new musical from Aaron King and Sam Norman sees the Come Dine With Me crew set to film a milestone episode for the hit series. The three-person production team is hungry for some TV magic to boost dwindling ratings, so when hints of sabotage begin to float around the contestants’ culinary creations, producer Mary rubs her hands in glee, while sound technician Teddy seeks to foil the saboteur.
The structure of the musical will be familiar to audiences, with the crew zipping to four contestants’ homes to film a three-course evening meal cooked by one of the competitors. Producer Mary (Daniele Coombe), sound man Teddy (Harry Chandler), and cameraman Roy (Tom Bowen) are an engaging trio, who roam the audience ahead of curtain-up, generating a buzz in the theatre before racing onto the stage for the first musical number. The energy remains high throughout the production, with musical numbers for each of the supporting players. Contestant Barbara’s French-inspired menu comes with the most impressive musical number, while other numbers about veganism and being a carnivore showcase the dichotomy of two other contestants. The numbers vary in memorability and quality, with most of King and Norman’s proving largely forgettable.
The cast embraces the campiness of the subject matter, with the contestants having fun diving into culinary stereotypes, including the haughty, French-obsessed character, the gruff, pie-loving straight bloke, and a vegan who can’t stop talking about being a vegan. The fourth contestant serves as a love interest for Teddy in a somewhat trite will-they-won’t-they romance that dawdles throughout the piece.
Come Dine With Me has been a staple of British television for nearly twenty years, providing audiences with outrageous camp moments: “Well Jane, you won,” Fluffy the Snake, Jan Leeming’s “orgasm”, Claire serving her steaks ‘on planks’, and Dawn too drunk to cook dinner—yet The Musical could tap into some of these with playful nods. The iconic ‘Whisk Man’ does get a little reference, which was appreciated. Some of these references might hit better than many of the gags the show does run with or engage more than the flat love story at its heart.
The set design is engaging, feeling quite dynamic as it flits between production vehicles and dining sets, while banners showcasing whose night to cook it is are a nice touch. The narrative, although expected in its beats, does fly by in a breezy, inoffensive fashion that will amuse audiences hoping for an escapist romp. Overall, Come Dine With Me: The Musical offers a light-hearted, if somewhat under-seasoned, take on the beloved television staple. While it may not deliver a fully satisfying meal of wit and musicality, it serves up enough entertainment to leave audiences with a smile.
Tickets to Come Dine With Me: The Musical are available here.
Photo: Paul Taylor-Mills and Sam Norman