- Image by Dramagirl via Flickr
I’d like to say that I stand atop a mighty moral pedestal where body issues simply don’t affect me: ‘No, of course I don’t judge people on their weight.’ I hope I don’t, but study after study shows that I do, on some subconscious level. Nothing quite attacks the gut (no pun intended) like an insult about body weight. It’s one of society’s instant triggers. It can mean the start of mass bullying, a riot in defence of the victim, shattered friendship groups and absolutely horrid depression.
So watching Fat Pig puts you in a place where you’re constantly shifting your reaction. The insults that are hurled at the character of Helen, both to her face and behind her back, are ruthless, brutal and hilarious. The play begins when Helen meets Tom in a cafeteria. They begin dating, but Tom is the subject of ridicule from his work colleagues because Helen is overweight. The play’s deliberately abrupt ending suggest Neil LaBute’s script is meant to leave us asking questions of ourselves and society’s views. I’m just not entirely sure how successful this is.
Neil LaBute is a celebrated American writer and director for stage and film. I admit I had never read or seen a show of his, and my expectations were quite high. His resume is long and acclaimed. However Fat Pig fails for me in that it is, quite simply, one idea. The set-up is neatly established in the first beat of the play, and then repeats itself for more than an hour and then … ends. Certainly, the dialogue is funny and these are well-drawn, mostly engaging characters, but the plot feels empty and under-developed.
I realise, of course, the script is not directed at me. I was sitting amongst a high school audience and they absolutely loved the piece. The style and structure reminded me of your average American sitcom. Pieces of this feel very Sex and the City, or Friends. In this way, Fat Pig is one big great strawberry milkshake: frothy, light, and fun. But the ending, which I can’t reveal, is surprising in its sobriety.
The director Morgan Dowsett has executed the script extremely well. The comedy’s very well done, and the pathos of Helen is never overwhelming. Dowsett really shines when he combines his talents with the designer, Renee Mulder, and sound designer, Tony Brumpton. The scene transitions are some of the slickest moments of theatre I’ve seen in a long time. Brumpton’s song mash-ups are wonderful and the audio-visual design is stunning. This is a cohesive, beautifully designed production.
If you seen the 2010 season brochure for Queensland Theatre Company you would have read that Rebel Wilson was supposed to play the starring role. It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Wilson’s face is still on the poster (they’ve just cropped the top half of it). Fortunately for Queensland, local actor Amy Ingram was able to fill Wilson’s shoes. Ingram’s been a star of the independent circuit for some time, and her place on the main stage is very welcome. Ingram’s Helen is warm, complex and engaging. The only critique (or compliment) I had was one shared by many of the audience members around me: Amy Ingram is just not that big.
This is something that Dowsett was obviously aware of. This is ok, but it does mean that Tom’s workmates, played by the deliciously evil Steven Rooke and Paige Gardiner, become almost satanic and delusional in their attacks. Given the subject matter of the play, I also find it troubling that a woman could leave the theatre thinking that, if they’re the same shape or size as Amy Ingram, then they are horribly overweight … a dangerous thought.
Fat Pig is a moderately good night out, and overall, a success. But if LaBute’s aim was to uncover the social evils of obesity bullying, then this production didn’t accomplish that. It does succeed in being a good, well-rounded (ok, pun slightly intended) comedy. Strawberry milkshake, anyone?
GUEST POST: David Burton is a playwright, lecturer in children’s and young people’s theatre (USQ), and the Director of the Empire Youth Theatre in Toowoomba. David’s latest work Captain Pathos and his Army of Imaginary Friends appeared in this year’s USQ Children’s Theatre Festival, following his acclaimed Spirits in Bare Feet for last year’s Festival. His one-man play Furious Angels will premiere as part of the Metro Arts Independent season later this year. Dave is also working on the commissioned April’s Fool for the Empire Theatre; this new work premieres in August before an extensive tour of Queensland. In 2009, his award-winning work Lazarus Won’t Get Out of Bed was produced by AS Theatre, and played a season at Metro Arts in Brisbane. Other work includes The Bachelor Prophecies (2007) and Smashed (2008). Follow him on Twitter @dave_burton
Fat Pig by Neil LaBute
Director: Morgan Dowsett
Designer: Renee Mulder
Sound Designer: Tony Brumpton
Cast includes: Janis McGavin, Steven Rooke, Christopher Sommers
Venue: BILLE BROWN STUDIO
Running Time: 1 hour 45 mins (no interval)
