Fat Pig

Company: Queensland Theatre Company
Venue: Bille Brown Studio, West End, Brisbane
Dates: To 26 June 2010

Wow! What a brilliant quartet of acting talent it was that brought this spellbinder to the stage. Fat Pig runs 105 minutes without interval but I swear it felt like a short one-acter it was so absorbing and fast-paced. I had to check my watch at curtain, just to make sure it really had ended because I was enjoying it so much.

The other remarkable thing was the fact that this American play translated perfectly into an Australia setting and characters. There was no need for accents, LaBute’s characters are universal.

Helen is the jolly fat girl, Tom and Carter work and drinking buddies, while Jeannie is the archetypical yuppie career girl, close to 30 whose biological clock is ticking fast. And they all live in a body-conscious state where big is not beautiful and light is right. It is a tale of brutal truth and lies; deceptions and honesty where the meek will never inherit the Earth.

Seeming nice guy Tom meets Helen in a food hall, the share a table for lunch; hers every fast food you can think of and can of soft drink, his a chicken salad and bottle of water. Two different worlds. The meeting is warm and friendly and hilarious as Tom stumbles around, accidentally dropping fat remarks, then apologising only to seeing the pretty face of overweight Helen laughing them off. “I’ve heard them all,” she says. “I doesn’t bother me any more. I’m happy with who I am.”

Tom is intrigued by this office-politically incorrect woman and warms to her personality to the point of dating her. But his fears of ridicule for dating this lovely, but overweight woman are strong and he keeps her away from his trendy friends. In the office his would-be partner, Jeannie, sniffs around angrily for hints about his rumoured girl-friend while Carter sends him up rotten. Carter is one of those total larrikins who are great company, love a joke, and live for the moment. He is also a morally bereft human being who can put on a big smile while stabbing someone in the back. But what a great character Steven Rooke made of him. We knew every time he came on stage that something bad and funny was going to happen and looked forward eagerly to every appearance. We even forgave him his crassness because we thought there was something nice underneath the thick skinned cover; such is the star acting talent Rooke has. He was so good that when he innocently asked for a photograph of Helen, the audience knew he was up to no good and some even shouted warnings to Tom not to hand it over. Such was the audience involvement. His was the first of four brilliant performances.

Christopher Somers was Tom, the weak, vacillating, easily led bloke-about-town, who was the butt of many jokes, but who the women loved for his perceived gentleness and warmth. Somers brought out every aspect this man’s loves and fears to create a very real if exasperating man. His love-hate relation ship with his mate Carter was perfectly realised and their interaction was dovetailed wonderfully.

The women matched the men in every way. Their performances were polished and secure in two very different roles. Paige Gardiner’s Jeannie is played almost as a grotesque. She struts, pulls exaggerated faces, and is so like, “whatever!” she is hilarious in her role of the insecure, blustering, larger than life bully. She looks svelte in her office gear and high heels, but her insecurities constantly break out of the cool exterior gloss. Her disparaging look at a swim-suit clad Helen at the company beach barbecue is a never-to-be-forgotten catalyst for the inevitable ending to the play.

Amy Ingram, who joined the cast after original member Rebel Wilson pulled out for an international movie role was simply marvellous as the “jolly” Helen. I saw her perform in Single Admissions earlier this year and commented on her great eyes and face and her great comedy timing. I am even more impressed now as Helen fell hopelessly in love with the insecure and shallow Tom and changed from a bubbly cuddly and outwardly content creature she was to a woman so desperate for love she offered to lose weight and change her entire outlook on life. Her distinctive, infectious laugh and sparkle dulled to subjection and tears in an incredibly moving fashion.

The four actors created a true star ensemble which blended, bounced, cajoled, and created laughter and tears. It is a play worth seeing twice just to catch all the nuances of the characters they created - a great play invigorated by star performers.

Renee Mulder’s set, just a desk, chairs and a couch, helped by Ian Rendell’s highly effective screen projection and graphics that constantly changed was a perfect scene setter. This was backed by unobtrusive sound from Tony Brumton and an efficient lighting plot from Ben Hughes.

Eric Scott

To read more of Eric Scott's theatre reviews, check out Absolute Theatre.