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With the ease and joviality of friends performing party tricks, Slightly Fat parades its comedic cavalcade of juggling, escapology, tiger taming, magic, hoofing, singing, music and seemingly, spontaneous mayhem to the stage of Leicester Square Theatre, resulting in a highly enjoyable, laugh out loud variety night out.

Each player in this animated troupe is a seasoned artist in his own right, with enough accolades to proclaim it, though no further proof is needed than their well-played and timed performances. That said, a prestigious comedy award was won by the company earlier this year at a festival in Montreal. While every performer artfully does their own thing, they often overlap into each other’s terrain, comingling abilities with hilarious results.

Self-proclaimed, ringmaster and slightly fat fellow of this lively troupe, Goronwy Thom made a riotously grand entrance, after which he unrelentingly displayed canny circus, musical and comedy feats, while fat and proud, astoundingly light on his feet drummer cum pin-up Matt Barnard raised the phrase ‘let it all hang out’ to hilariously new levels, with the audience laughing all the way! So deadpan it makes you wonder how he does it, Jon Hicks, set the offbeat side of things in motion, like an aging Punk, via art and artful comedic skills. At this point, I might inject that this is a family show, with something for everyone, laughter being the common denominator! Pleasingly off kilter escape artist/dancer/you name it Gareth Jones proves his endeavours are definitely not ones to be tried by every Tom, Dick and Harry at home, while lithe Richard Garaghty puts the T in tiger taming, among other titter inspiring tasks! Herbie Treehead, hair reminiscent of Larry of the Three Stooges, the undisputed wild man of the group, at ‘46’ has, apparently, been waiting for this opportunity to show what he’s made of all his life. Treehead’s disarming blend of musicianship and sharp comedic timing add yet another dimension to this well rounded, seeming group of misfits. Last but not least, Prog Rock gets a royal roasting, causing much enthusiastic laughter of recognition from the audience, courtesy of the show’s long-haired, multi-tasking, highly talented Musical Director, Robert Lee, who also composed the show’s original music. As a youth, I thought Prog Rockers must have been laughing all the way to the bank, so I found the segment where Lee howled to his own groove in that vein regardless of what was going on elsewhere on stage particularly amusing along with the guys guffawing in the audience who may have, conversely, hung on to every word of such rockers in their day! It’s very uplifting to be able to laugh at yourself and as you’re laughing at and with these talented performers, you inadvertently, also laugh at whatever you may have in common with them.

In this season of glitter, pizzazz and overindulgence, more than any other time of year, belly laughs are therapeutic, so pause those timeworn films, bypass the excess biscuits and chocs, and head to friendly Leicester Square Theatre for some funny bone tickling, real live, Slightly Fat merriment.