written by Neil LaBute
directed by Amy Rummenie
June 15 – 30, 2007
The Playwrights’ Center
Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Girl is large. In this brutal comedy, playwright Neil LaBute examines the nature of beauty and attraction. A story of love and weakness by the author of The Shape of Things and In the Company of Men.
Cast
Production Team
| tom | Shad Cooper | director | Amy Rummenie |
| helen | Celia Forrest | set | Jim Smart |
| carter | Ben Thietje | costumes | Elin Anderson |
| jeannie | Jennifer Phillips | props | David Pisa |
| lighting | Jenny DeGolier | ||
| sound | Montana Johnson | ||
| stage manager | Jessica Buelow | ||
| publicity photo | Dan Norman | ||
| production photos | Christopher Bowlsby |
Reviews
Top Ten Best Productions of 2007 – Lavender Magazine
Top Ten Best Productions of 2007 – City Pages
Outstanding play, smaller theater – Star Tribune
Celia Forrest, outstanding actress, smaller theater – Star Tribune
Shad Cooper, outstanding actor, smaller theater – Star Tribune
Neil LaBute came about his reputation for dramatic cruelty honestly, and the title of his 2004 play (here in a local premiere) promised sadism aplenty. But this one took a different path, and Walking Shadow’s production captured its ambiguity and sense of moral challenge. Celia Forrest played the plus-sized Helen, a bundle of charm who attracts the white-collar Tom (Shad Cooper). Tom falls in love, and lust, with Helen, but fights against the shame of societal pressure should he reveal to the world that Helen is his girl. Forrest and Cooper captured a real, breathing sense of romance, and both were courageous in seeing through LaBute’s harsh, if plausible, conclusion. This one had heart enough to just about break mine.
-City Pages, Best of 2007
‘Fat Pig’ gets below the surface about appearance and prejudice. Walking Shadow Theatre offers a nuanced and thought-provoking look at the superficial side of relationships and weight. And does it matter what your friends think? You half expect a play titled “Fat Pig” to be an unrelenting stream of epithets. After all, it was written by Neil LaBute, who is, among other things, a master of stage invective. The play, which opened over the weekend at the Playwrights’ Center under the aegis of the relatively new Walking Shadow Theatre Company, does contain some brutally unkind moments. But what I also found, and what makes this such a winning production, was something altogether more nuanced and engaging. The show touches on some delicate issues delicately, and keeps you engaged all the way. And Jim Smart’s simple, elegant and efficient set elevates the work and the venue, which is better known for housing budget-conscious productions…this work gets an expert production from a newish troupe that recalls the strengths of such former Twin Cities companies as Hidden Theatre and Eye of the Storm.
– Rohan Preston, Star Tribune
