Fringe review: SCAREDY FAT, SkelpieLimmer, Lyric Belfast, Pleasance, LET - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Scaredy's working the late shift at the cinema tonight. You'll never guess what's showing? Horror-movie sexual awakenings of yesteryear. Steamy tales of Carrie and Candyman. It would be perfect if only evil horror host Count Calories would stop cutting in on the fun. It's time Scaredy faced their fears and stopped being such a big Scaredy Fat.

Poking fun at the horror genre and how fat and queer representation was portrayed, Scaredy Fat asks: what does it mean to love a genre that doesn't love you back?

Colm McCready is Scaredy Fat. Their performance is forthright, sharing maybe a little bit too much, but that's okay as we're all friends here at the Fringe!

Written by McCready, it's a tale of self discovery, teenage angst and classic horror films. It's a witty, yet poignant script that we can somehow relate to. The outsider. The one that's a bit different. The one that people like to put down to make themselves feel better. Most of us have been there.

Scaredy's costume (designed by Niamh Kearney) has a subtle nod to the horror genre, with a white streak in their hair (Bride of Frankenstein) and smudged blue eye shadow (Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show) for those eagle eyed movie fans.

The message of the piece is clear though. Accept yourself for who you are, dance like Jesse Walsh, stay out of abandoned houses and never pick up a ringing phone because those that don't will be chased by a stranger in a mask for the rest of time.

Horrifically funny!

**** Four stars

Reviewed by :Rachel Louise Martin

Scaredy Fat plays in the Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome at 4.05pm until 28 August.