Fat Pig
Author Neil LaBute always cuts to the chase, be it a screenplay (The Company of Men) or theatrical drama. His Fat Pig, in a tight, thought-provoking production at OnStage Playhouse, is the second of his trilogy of plays about America's obsession with beauty, the one size few fit. To change attitudes, LaBute suggests throughout that you must change the eye of the beholder. Against his wishes, since she's a very large woman, Tom falls for Helen. But come on, you can almost hear him say, he's a svelte Montague, and she's...a Capulet. As they grow closer he moves her more and more away from the public eye. His company's having a beach party. Should he invite Helen? Brendan Cavalier and Carla Nell do touching work as the star-crossed pair, much of it with unspoken looks and telling gestures (she's been there and done that but will try once more for the gold; he's never felt better with a woman, or worse). Directed by Kym Pappas, the production doesn't flinch when LaBute fires his salvos. Ryan Ross plays Tom's cynical office mate, the fat-pigheaded Carter, with slick deliveries and convincing misogyny. Carter says, "You date all these gals and act like you're Mr. Sensitive...but you get bored or cornered or feel a touch nervous and you drop 'em like they were old produce." As jilted Jeannie, a smoldering Jenna Dawsey gets the comeback. Men, she says, are just "baby boys who run around in nice clothes." And "all they really want to do is breast-feed for the rest of their days."
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Saturday, October 4, 2008
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 8pm |