Festival review: Active Virgin; C (venue 34)

Taking aim at modern society’s futile, celeb culture-fuelled quest for physical perfection, Active Virgin is one of three shows brought to the Fringe this year by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s graduate production arm One Academy Productions, after last year’s well-received Wasted Love.

While the musical itself doesn’t quite add up to the sum of its parts in the overall enjoyment stakes, it bears firm recommending purely as a thoroughly enjoyable hour spent in the company of a crazily talented cast and crew. From the dancers and singers to the flying-fingered synthesizer wizard and even the stage and lighting techs, everyone looks like they’re having a ball, and it’s infectious.

The story centres on the workout-obsessed Lycra-clad all-sizes members of the futuristic 247GYM – in particular “star member” Leah, a model with a sculpted figure never quite sculpted enough for her profession. Like 76 per cent of body dysmorphic disorder sufferers, she’s never had sex – a subject of pity, peevishness and perverse laughs among her peers.

The narrative unfolds through the omnipresent gaze of a doctor and his assistant – the voices of mental and physical therapy, as they watch on helplessly while mankind fights a self-destructive battle against its own natural body shape. Casualties fall, victim to everything from damaged personal and professional lives, to drug addiction and even self-mutilation.

Severe as that might sound, the way this musical plays out is anything but. Active Virgin – and even the title is a clever play on words – displays a wickedly cheeky and irreverent sense of humour, peaking with the part when the cast sing a cheesily affectionate power-ballad ode to Leah’s pert backside.

The choreography and songs are slick and sharp and fizz with fun and energy – if you’ll excuse the pun, there’s barely an ounce of flab on the whole thing.

While it probably lacks that immersive feel-good factor necessary for a musical to enjoy a serious commercial lifespan, it’s easy to imagine this show having some kind of educational application as a stealthily un-preachy way of reaching impressionable young minds with an important message. The rapturous response of a school group in the front couple of rows well proves that.

Rating: ****

Until 27 August. Wednesday noon.