REVIEW: "Fat Pig"

A Review

When Love Isn't Enough

By R. J. Donovan

Neil LaBute's plays are far from warm and fuzzy. The topics can be tough, the emotions can be raw and the results often leave the characters (both innocent and brashly unlikable) pummeled.

SpeakEasy Stage is presenting the New England premiere of LaBute's "Fat Pig" through April 7. Paul Melone directs. The black comedy with the insensitive title is both wildly funny and incredibly painful as it fillets everything from peer pressure to the stark rejection of anyone who doesn't fit the mold of the pretty people.

Tom (James Ryen, at left) is a tall, dark and handsome executive who happens upon Helen (Liliane Klein, with Ryen), a plus-sized gal, at lunch. He can't find a free seat, so, clutching his tray, he accepts the invitation to share Helen's tiny counter.

The two click, and a relationship soon looms large, as does Tom's discomfort level at what his small-minded, smart-mouthed co-workers will say about his new companion.

The self-deprecating Helen laughs, giggles and easily shares who she is. She's completely comfortable with her physical size. It's Tom who turns into a quivering coward at the awkward prospect of coming out about who he's spending time with.

He genuinely falls for Helen, but that warmth and caring only seem to exist when he is alone in her company. When he's around either Carter, a fellow exec with the diplomacy of a water rat, or Jeannie, an on-again-off-again flame from the accounting department, he caves in and finds it impossible to locate his spine in defending his new relationship.

Carter, the obnoxious office gossip, bluntly points out that Tom's settling below his lot in life. He's got the looks, the job, the future. Why choose someone who's not going to look good on his arm. Or in a frame on his desk. With a demonic sneer, he asks point blank, how are you supposed to love something that looks like that?

Jeannie (Laura Latreille, at left with Ryen), who comes off as the more wicked stepsister of Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction," is nothing short of dangerous. You have to wonder why Tom even sought out a relationship with her in the first place.

The sharper reality of all this is that we recognize the stigma from the get-go. And it's sad to say that we know we're probably guilty of similar infractions ourselves. From magazine ads to reality shows to kids at the mall, it's all about the look. Long before we get to know someone, we've already placed a handle on who they are (or aren't) based purely on their clothes, or their shoes or their body type. How often have you seen someone with a deep tan and assumed they were one of the rich, party people. (Lemme tell you, a lot of those tans are courtesy of a spray can.)

As Tom, James Ryen is open and warm with Helen but caught in the headlights when he's among his peers. He does a particularly nice job as he fails to maintain his two lives and falls apart in his final scene with Helen.

As Helen, Liliane Klein is comfortable and self-deprecating as the librarian who spends her free time absorbed in classic Hollywood war movies. She cautiously lets her guard down at the prospect of having a real relationship. Yet, that relationship is hardly real since she never gets 100 percent of Tom.

Laura Latreille is Jeannie. She previously soared in SpeakEasy's production of LaBute's "The Shape of Things." Here, her character is just plain mean, until an odd scene late in the show when she does a complete 180 and gets all giggly at the beach.

The sparkle in "Fat Pig" is provided by Michael Daniel Anderson as Carter. Wearing enough hair gel to lube a Buick, he's both funny and superficially smarmy. He's got a presence that makes you watch him even when he's just sitting there. And he comes with a smug Cheshire smile that stays behind long after he's left the room.

Janie E. Howland's set nicely creates an antiseptic platform for the action, including a cool wall of glass blocks and an orderly and ultimately impersonal work space. It suits Tom perfectly. Clearly, Helen could never be part of the sterile world in which Tom exists.

As in such previous works as "bash" and "The Shape of Things," LaBute captures the raw side of people treating people in a brazenly deplorable way. In "Fat Pig," he holds a mirror up to the world, and whether we like it or not, we ultimately see something of ourselves in the unwavering reflection.

"Fat Pig "is at The Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston, through April 7. For information, call 617-933-8600.

Production Photos:Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo

-- OnStage Boston

03/22/07

			A Review When Love Isn't Enough By R. J. Donovan Neil LaBute's plays are far from warm and fuzzy. The topics can be tough, the emotions can be raw and the results often leave the characters (both innocent and brashly unlikable) pummeled. SpeakEasy Stage is presenting the New England premiere of LaBute's "Fat Pig" through April 7. Paul Melone directs. The black comedy with the insensitive title is both wildly funny and incredibly painful as it fillets everything from peer pressure to the stark rejection of anyone who doesn't fit the mold of the pretty people. Tom (James Ryen, at left) is a tall, dark and handsome executive who happens upon Helen (Liliane Klein, with Ryen), a plus-sized gal, at lunch. He can't find a free seat, so, clutching his tray, he accepts the invitation to share Helen's tiny counter. The two click, and a relationship soon looms large, as does Tom's discomfort level at what his small-minded, smart-mouthed co-workers will say about his new companion. The self-deprecating Helen laughs, giggles and easily shares who she is. She's completely comfortable with her physical size. It's Tom who turns into a quivering coward at the awkward prospect of coming out about who he's spending time with. He genuinely falls for Helen, but that warmth and caring only seem to exist when he is alone in her company. When he's around either Carter, a fellow exec with the diplomacy of a water rat, or Jeannie, an on-again-off-again flame from the accounting department, he caves in and finds it impossible to locate his spine in defending his new relationship. Carter, the obnoxious office gossip, bluntly points out that Tom's settling below his lot in life. He's got the looks, the job, the future. Why choose someone who's not going to look good on his arm. Or in a frame on his desk. With a demonic sneer, he asks point blank, how are you supposed to love something that looks like that? Jeannie (Laura Latreille, at left with Ryen), who comes off as the more wicked stepsister of Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction," is nothing short of dangerous. You have to wonder why Tom even sought out a relationship with her in the first place. The sharper reality of all this is that we recognize the stigma from the get-go. And it's sad to say that we know we're probably guilty of similar infractions ourselves. From magazine ads to reality shows to kids at the mall, it's all about the look. Long before we get to know someone, we've already placed a handle on who they are (or aren't) based purely on their clothes, or their shoes or their body type. How often have you seen someone with a deep tan and assumed they were one of the rich, party people. (Lemme tell you, a lot of those tans are courtesy of a spray can.) As Tom, James Ryen is open and warm with Helen but caught in the headlights when he's among his peers. He does a particularly nice job as he fails to maintain his two lives and falls apart in his final scene with Helen. As Helen, Liliane Klein is comfortable and self-deprecating as the librarian who spends her free time absorbed in classic Hollywood war movies. She cautiously lets her guard down at the prospect of having a real relationship. Yet, that relationship is hardly real since she never gets 100 percent of Tom. Laura Latreille is Jeannie. She previously soared in SpeakEasy's production of LaBute's "The Shape of Things." Here, her character is just plain mean, until an odd scene late in the show when she does a complete 180 and gets all giggly at the beach. The sparkle in "Fat Pig" is provided by Michael Daniel Anderson as Carter. Wearing enough hair gel to lube a Buick, he's both funny and superficially smarmy. He's got a presence that makes you watch him even when he's just sitting there. And he comes with a smug Cheshire smile that stays behind long after he's left the room. Janie E. Howland's set nicely creates an antiseptic platform for the action, including a cool wall of glass blocks and an orderly and ultimately impersonal work space. It suits Tom perfectly. Clearly, Helen could never be part of the sterile world in which Tom exists. As in such previous works as "bash" and "The Shape of Things," LaBute captures the raw side of people treating people in a brazenly deplorable way. In "Fat Pig," he holds a mirror up to the world, and whether we like it or not, we ultimately see something of ourselves in the unwavering reflection. "Fat Pig "is at The Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston, through April 7. For information, call 617-933-8600. Production Photos:Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo -- OnStage Boston 03/22/07

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