Come Dine With Me: The Musical – Turbine Theatre

Picture: Mark Senior

Come Dine With Me: The Musical continues at the Turbine Theatre, London until 29 September 2024.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Come Dine With Me is of course the beloved reality TV show that has been aired on Channel 4 since 2005. Four strangers take turns hosting a dinner party and score each other on their hospitality, each with the hope of winning the £1,000 prize at the end of the week. This may not seem a likely format to be adapted into a musical, but think again.

Fresh from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with book and lyrics by Sam Norman and music by Aaron Nihal King, this lively cast presents a sizzling hour of cheesy action that will leave you feeling fuzzy and warm. Andrew Beckett’s direction creates a comforting familiarity onstage which undoubtedly will prompt audience members to recall memorable episodes. Some of these famous moments are even subtly referenced which is appreciated.

Unexpectedly, the musical is a lot more about the team behind the scenes making the show happen than the contestants themselves. Sound engineer Teddy, played by Harry Chandler, is the central character who appears to be stumbling through life (literally) trying to follow the orders of the boisterous producer Mary. Daniele Coombe expertly captures this character, playing fast and loose with the emotions of the contestants. Chandler’s stunning vocals shine through in his numbers, with the support of Tom Bowen who plays cameraman Roy.

The build up to meeting the contestants drags on a bit – the group could have been introduced earlier given that they are what Come Dine With Me is all about. Finally, Barbara (Kim Ismay) enters with gusto as a Francophile with delusions of grandeur. She has some real funny moments and Ismay’s comedic timing is excellent.

Leo Udvarlaky is Ernest, the vegan This trope feels a bit hackneyed but he plays it well and you could believe that he is exactly the kind of person who might appear on the show. The other contestants are Duncan and Janey (Paul Hazel and Sophie Hutchinson) who don’t have as out there personalities as the first two, but this adds to the realism.

With the limited running time of one hour, the love plot between Teddy and Janey is surplus to requirements and the show would have been stronger without it, keeping the focus on the foibles of the characters. The best moments are the little asides and winks to the audience who are all likely to have seen an episode of the Channel 4 programme at one time or another.

This musical is wonderfully authentic and it’s clear that the creatives have a deep understanding of what makes the TV show which it is based on so great. Come Dine With Me: The Musical offers up a backstage pass to the quirkiness of reality television through song.

Rebecca Sinclair