Review: You Are What You Eat, theSpace on the Mile

Each August, while Edinburgh Fringe Festival is grabbing all the headlines, Camden Fringe is happening back in London. Everything Theatre throws itself fully into both, but for a multitude of reasons it is Camden Fringe that is often the most important part of what we do. Because it’s here that so many new creatives test their ideas in a much safer (and cheaper) environment. Three nights at Little Angel Theatre is a lot less risky than a couple of weeks in Edinburgh, but a lot more forgiving in allowing shows to learn where they are going.

I mention Little Angel Theatre not as some random Camden Fringe venue, but because that is exactly where we first saw You Are What You Eat twelve months ago. Even then we called it a “thoroughly entertaining adventure”. And one year later, here it is, in Edinburgh at theSpace on the Mile, having taken the time between the two runs to work out where things could be improved, tightened, made more dramatic or comic. It’s a route more productions should take so that by the time they arrive in Edinburgh the show is ready and an audience that’s perhaps slightly more demanding than those at Camden Fringe will not leave feeling shortchanged.

This revised version of You Are What You Eat is a polished treat. It stands out as a show that has taken the time to work out how to move between scenes, how to make best use of every gag, both verbal and visual, and it is a show that through word of mouth is filling the venue each night. 

Our two leading men, Lewis Macey (Izaak Hamilton-New) and Thomas Fielder (Ben Phaure) are best of friends and dream of being private detectives. The problem is both are slightly bumbling and still living at home with their mums. They each have very different ideas on what type of PI they should be; Thomas dreams of action, such as Starsky and Hutch, while Lewis is much more cerebral like Sherlock Holmes. Although sister Grace (Abbie Kidd) reminds them, this isn’t Hollywood, as she continues to mock and yet somehow support their plans. 

The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek, filled with knowing nods to the 70s, when the show is set. Of course, staging it in this era means they avoid the usual issues of mobile phones and the internet. Instead, we are left with just a lot of silliness as the bumbling pair somehow manage to not get killed by their ineptitude but also stumble upon a murder case for their first investigation. There are wonderful attempts to recreate the great detective TV heroes of the era; the pair practicing their Dirty Harry “Do you feel lucky punk?” routine is just a resounding delight. But as much as this is a comedy detective show, it’s just as much about male friendship. 

You Are What You Eat is the perfect example of artists learning what works and what doesn’t. It shows that not jumping straight into Edinburgh can sometimes be the wisest choice. Having taken their time, the show finally hitting Edinburgh is fully formed, well-presented and, most importantly, well received. The characters created are also ones that could be deployed again, so even if the team decide it’s now time to rest this particular show, it surely won’t mean the end of this chaotic duo (or should that be trio? That sister really does save their skin more than once!).

Written by Izaak Hamilton-New
Directed by Michelle Allen
Produced by Izaak Hamilton-New and Michelle Allen
Set Design by Talia Kauffman
Lighting and Sound design by Gabriel Haslam
Costume Alteration by: Juliet Hamilton
Dance Choreography by Abbie Kidd
Fight Choreography by Carlotta De Gregori
Presented by Beautiful Death Theatre

You Are What You Eat has completed its run at EdFringe.