Fat Pig
Produced by Sydney Theatre Company

Cast: Katrina Milosevic, Felicity Price, James Saunders, Ed Wightman

Publicist: STC Publicists

Australian Premiere: Wharf 1, Sydney. September 23, 2006.


The Lowdown:
Play part of the Sydney Theatre Company's 2006 season. Was widely acclaimed.


AussieTheatre.com Review:
A couple of days ago, I searched the DVD collection on a lonely night in and put on the 1990's romantic comedy, The Truth About Cats and Dogs. It was an ironic lead-in to the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Fat Pig, a compelling, emotional and dramatic piece that hits you in the face like an over-sized Mack truck.

At the film's heart is the struggle Abbey has with herself - she's got it in her head that men only want size 10 blondes and couldn't care less about 'unattractive' women like herself. In Fat Pig, Helen (Katrina Milosevic) faces a similar dilemma - she's overweight, and can't quite believe she's attracted the interest of the good looking Tom (James Saunders). Even at their first meeting, she defends her eating habits and makes an 'admission of fat'.

In a world full of top-selling gossip magazines that provide 'before and after' shots of now 'fat' stars, it is no wonder women feel this way. And as Neil LaBute's entertaining play reveals, not only big women are affected - according to this piece, even thin women are the target of male slurs on the way they look.

The play starts simply enough: Tom meets Helen at a food court and both find an interest in each other. One thing leads to another, as they say, and the pair start dating. Problem: Tom's colleagues at the office can't believe he is dating a "fat chick" and so begins a struggle and a test of his love.

At the centre of the problem is Jeannie (Felicity Price), who Tom casually dated at one point, and Carter (Ed Wightman), who couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it. They begin a series of taunts and practical jokes, and they start to have a major impact on Tom and the way he looks at his relationship with Helen.

Sneaking into the movie late, setting up camp at a work picnic away from the main group and isolating the relationship are all hints to Helen that perhaps Tom isn't as comfortable as she thought he was.

It's a sad tale where peer pressure gets in the way of a relationship for all the wrong reasons, and in the middle is poor, simple Helen who is just happy to have a boyfriend, a good looking one at that. She has her doubts, and being self-conscious is often her forte, but she's also willing to laugh at her size, even if deep down, it hurts her deeply.

The play features many awkward silences that actually help it feel real, and as we start to realise that Tom has become a victim of a society obsessed with appearance, it feels even more non-fiction. And while LaBute's piece may not be based on any particular relationship, he has clearly gained inspiration from contemporary society.

Carter says at one point: "Very rare is the man who stands up for the shit he believes in". Tom finds himself circling around that very line the entire play. Should he stand up for what he truly believes in and show his girlfriend off to the world, or should he cave to peer pressure and end the unfair taunts being placed on him by his friends?

Along the way, Helen does herself no favours. She constantly defends why she is fat, questions herself consistently and never really settles into the relationship. She, too, in a different way, is a victim of the before mentioned generation of gossip queens and look-obsessed girls who care more about their hair than the countless people dying unnecessary deaths each and every day.

As Helen, Milosevic is brilliant. It is a brave, gutsy and stellar performance that evokes emotion - from the first chance meeting with Tom, through to the teary conclusion to the piece. It's a tough gig, as her real tears show during the bows, but she rises to the fore and produces one of the best performances seen on a Sydney stage this year.

Saunders' Tom is a character that develops right before our eyes. We feel comfort in many of his decisions, and dissatisfaction and disappointment in others. While Helen is the central character here, Tom is very much the crucial element of the piece and Saunders keeps the energy going from start to finish.

Price is a joy to watch as the insecure and needy Jeannie, one particular scene where she vents her anger at Tom showing off her brilliant acting ability, and Wightman plays a frustrating, mean and screwed up character well, rising to the challenges such a role demands.

The play has several defining scenes. The conclusion, obviously, leads the way but Carter's discussion with Tom about how he treated his overweight mother and Tom's decision to lie about who he was having dinner with early in the piece are both pivotal scenes. Likewise, each character has a defining moment - a brilliant writer like LaBute hasn't left any loose ends and the play fits perfectly into the one hour and 40 minutes of allotted time.

The sparse set works, and Peter Evans' direction - not an easy task given it's a four-hander on quite a large stage where many scenes overlap - is excellent to say the least. If there's one negative, it's the American accents employed throughout the piece. The play never feels American and does not necessarily have to be set in the US so it's a bizarre decision. However, the play is so good you tend to forget about the accents after a few uncomfortable scenes.

Fat Pig is a sensational, well-written and most importantly well-acted play. It's a must-see production, and perhaps one of the best shows Sydney Theatre Company have dished up all year.

I'd see it again.


Production Shots: