Fat Pig - Monday 2nd June 2008, Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, London
Posted: Tuesday 3rd June 2008
This 2004 comic play by prolific American playwright and screenwriter Neil LaBute is currently showing at the Trafalgar Studios in London. Despite being an American play populated by very American characters, the cast is British, and features the notable comedy performers Robert Webb (Peep Show and one half of Mitchell and Webb), Kris Marshall (My Family) and Joanna Page (Gavin and Stacey).
The story is refreshingly simple, and concerns a topical issue: can a young man who’s part of the trendy set, obsessed by appearance and material values, date a fat girl who is happy with the way she looks? Certainly “fattism” is one of the last bastions of discrimination and intolerance, and this is used both for humorous effect and as touching drama throughout the play.
When businessman Tom (Robert Webb) gets chatting to the fat librarian Helen (Ella Smith) over lunch in a crowded restaurant he is attracted to her personality, even though he has never previously considered dating a fat girl. She makes a stream of self-deprecating fat jokes which make Tom incredibly awkward because of his social conditioning that he should not make any remarks about a person’s weight. Before he leaves he asks if he can see her again, though at this stage he is not sure he can commit to calling it a date. When we see him in the work environment we understand why. Surrounded by monstrous body-conscious friends, he lies about his relationship with Helen and avoids introducing her to them at all costs, knowing how negative their reaction will be. His colleagues Carter (Kris Marshall) and the image-obsessed Jeannie (Joanna Page) soon find out about his relationship with Helen and are outraged in different ways. Carter seeks to humiliate Tom for dating a fat girl and Jeannie, who previously dated Tom and had hopes he’d commit to her, believes he’s only dating Helen to get back at her. Neither can understand his choice.
As his peers apply more and more pressure, the cracks begin to show in his relationship with Helen, and the question becomes whether Tom’s strong enough to stand up to society and its expectations or whether he will give up a wonderful relationship in order to conform.
Once you get used to the American accents (which are variable: Ella Smith’s being by far the most convincing) and the overtly American business ethos that persists in this country too though tends not to be represented in art unless as a parody of the 1980s; then the play is an enjoyable progression of quickly changing scenes that advance the plot each time. Robert Webb in particular is a joy to watch. The physicality of his performance is extremely funny as well as true to the character, and the quirky Marshall provides an excellent foil. Ella Smith is wonderfully warm and witty as Helen; and it’s a credit to her and Webb that you believe their relationship, with all its nuances, throughout the play.
It’s not the most revelatory evening of theatre you can enjoy: we all know that the image-obsessed and materialistic are shallow and this issue bears no scrutiny; and the conflict centres on only one issue since we know that Tom will never go back to Jeannie from the very start; but the dialogue is sharp and there are many moments of genuine, laugh-out-loud comedy. The stakes never rise, as the question of whether or not the relationship will survive is the same in the last scene as it was in the second, which means it’s not edge-of-the-seat viewing; but the warmth of the characters and the excellent performances for the most part keep you interested. The simple yet effective lighting and revolving set provide for a slick, professional and fast-moving performance.