Reviewed by Judy Richter
Playwright Neil LaBute makes some salient points about
social norms and body weight in "Fat Pig," being given a sharp
production by Aurora Theatre Company. The story starts hopefully enough. A nice looking man,
Tom (Jud Williford),
meets a funny, sharp woman, Helen (Liliane Klein), in a crowded lunch place when
she offers to share her table with him. They make polite, casual conversation,
as strangers do, but there's a spark of attraction, too. This despite the fact
that Tom, who is of normal weight, is picking at a salad, while Helen, who is
definitely plus size, is scarfing down a piece of pizza.
They
begin seeing each other, but Tom is reluctant to tell his workmates, Carter (Peter
Ruocco) and
Jeannie (Alexandra Creighton), anything about her. Finally the nosy, devious Carter
discovers who the mystery woman is, and he's appalled, making crude jokes about
her weight. Jeannie, who has dated Tom herself, is bitchily incensed. The
upshot is that even though Tom and Helen have fallen in love, Tom can't resist the
peer prejudice against her weight even though she seems to be OK with it. His
weakness is all the more hurtful where Helen is concerned because his peers'
behavior is so juvenile while she has far more maturity and depth. She's also
the most likable and honest character. There's sadness for her because she saw
the warning signals of Tom's ambivalence and chose to ignore them because she
liked him so much and -- perhaps -- because this was probably one of her first
or only serious relationships.
Director
Barbara Damashek maintains
just the right pace in this 100-minute show, which has no intermission. She's
aided by Mikiko Uesugi's set, Jim Cave's lighting, Maggie Whitaker's costumes and Chris Houston's composition and sound.
"Fat Pig" is a serious look at how society in general regards people
who are physically different. It's especially ironic given the epidemic of
obesity in this country.
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