Glasgow company Visible Fictions is turning Cathy Forde's novel Fat Boy Swim into a new musical, opening in Giffnock on 28 January 2027 and touring eight Scottish venues in nine days.
A new musical version of Fat Boy Swim opens at Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock on 28 January 2027, the first of eight one-night stops across Scotland. The run finishes at Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh on 5 February. Three of the venues are already taking bookings, with the others to follow.
Visible Fictions, the Glasgow-based company, is producing. Cathy Forde has adapted her own novel, writing the book and lyrics. Michael John McCarthy composed the music and adds further lyrics, and Dougie Irvine directs.
At the centre is Jimmy, a teenager at a turning point. He is dealing with his weight, with bullies at school and with what goes on at home. The score pairs a current sound with a nod to the 1990s, leaning on indie folk and big, singable tunes.
The show has been in the works for a while. Visible Fictions ran development sessions in August 2023, with music workshops and table reads of the script.
Forde says returning to the characters gave her the chance to question them all over again, and that working through them with Irvine has made them sharper than they are on the page. She sees music as the natural way in: "All the characters harbour either secrets or desires and wishes they cannot express so song provides the perfect medium for revelation."
The tour, with curtain-up times:
- 28 January 2027: Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock (7.30pm)
- 29 January: Perth Theatre, Perth (7pm)
- 30 January: The Beacon Studio, Greenock (7.30pm)
- 1 February: Eden Court, Inverness (7pm)
- 2 February: The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (7pm)
- 3 February: Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling (7.30pm)
- 4 February: The Byre Theatre, St Andrews (7pm)
- 5 February 2027: Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh (7.30pm)
