We are in the depths of diet culture, and weight loss medication looms over our time. But no worries — Maddie Silverstein is here to bring some levity to the situation! Taking us on a journey of celebrity weight loss adverts, a Weight Watchers class, and even a trip to Mars, Guilt Free explores the absurdity of our obsession with losing weight.
This show is a strange and slightly gross experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. The humour was dark and sardonic, as Silverstein told us to stick to diet plans and buy more drugs. She employed unflinching eye contact, a lot of audience participation, and many props to create an uncomfortable experience, forcing us to consider the ways we are told to change our bodies. While this may sound questionable, it was executed with great hilarity. Long moments of silence and a rubber depiction of fat made me recoil, but never failed to make me giggle.
Silverstein plays a range of characters who will be familiar to anyone entrenched in diet culture. Her performance was silly and very self-aware which was delightful to watch. Her ability to laugh along with the audience at some of the most absurd moments made a great environment. No matter how unsettling the show became, somehow Silverstein kept the performance grounded, acknowledging the ridiculousness of her own performance. While it took me a second to acclimatise to this style of comedy, it was truly worth it once I did.
The crowd work consisted of throwing props to audience members, feeding them crisps, having them say lines and singing along — every section was very fun to take part in.
Guilt Free is perfect for those who are fed up with being berated with weight loss tips and tricks and want to free themselves of diet culture. If you are looking for a physically repelling, yet hilarious performance then look no further.
Guilt Free is running until 30 August at Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House. Buy tickets here.
Image by rlyblonde, provided to The Student as press material.
