REVIEW: Buff, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Fringe ✭✭✭✭

Paul T Davies reviews Buff now playing at the Pleasance Courtyard as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.

Buff Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Fringe

4 Stars

Book Tickets

In many ways, this is a classic Fringe production, one chair, one performer, nowhere to hide. It all relies on the script and performance and here they are of the highest quality. Nick is a plus-sized, gay primary school teacher, recovering from a recent break-up after six years. His flatmate is Insta famous Jamie, and Nick desires the muscle man. Ben Fensome's excellent script tackles fat shaming head on and should be a calling out to the gay community.

Pearse Egan is excellent as Nick, he conjures up every person that Nick sees, from his school class, a delightful collection of characters, to the gym-bound Jamie. He, and the script, are not afraid of Nick's questionable behaviour, he more or less stalks Jamie, but throughout it's clear that the constant abuse he endures about his size has led him to have low expectations and despair. When one of his pupils uses the word gay in a derogatory sense, Nick becomes upset, but through his teaching comes to realize why his mindset has been shaped. There is hope and a strong call for kindness.

It's a topic that resonated with the audience, and the self-deprecating humour is relatable and funny! You could do worse than get to know Nick in this strong LGBTQ play