ROYAL OAK – Stagecrafters 2nd Stage presents the Michigan premiere of the sharply funny, modern romance, "Fat Pig" by Neil LaBute, March 2-11 at the Baldwin Theatre.
The darkly humorous examination of society's hang-ups about weight centers around a young professional coping with the disconnect between the heavyset woman he loves and his image-obsessed peers.
Tom (Josh Bartlett of Farmington Hills), an attractive, upwardly mobile young man, meets Helen (Leah Inabnitt of Ferndale) when they share a table in a crowded cafeteria and the two hit it off immediately. Tom is quite taken with Helen. She is direct, bright, funny, sexy – and noticeably, unapologetically overweight.
"When I read 'Fat Pig' it was very funny – but the humor came not from laughing at the fat person, but laughing at the savagery of the people who make fun of them, who 'bar the door' to these people socially," said director Steve Tadevic of Hazel Park in a statement.
Tom first hides the relationship then finds himself needing to justify it to his narrow-minded co-workers who scoff at Helen's appearance. Jeannie (Vicki Briganti of Royal Oak), a beautiful but shrill accountant in the middle of a stalled relationship with Tom herself finds his attraction to Helen baffling while Carter (Jason Dilly of Franklin), Tom's self-entitled office buddy, urges him to dump Helen.
The fallout from his social circle over Helen forces Tom to confront his own insecurity and ultimately make a choice between true love and social acceptance.
"'Fat Pig' reminds me of two children meeting on the playground and really liking each other in that sort of innocent time before they learned the ugly rules of what I would describe as the collective social judgment of others," Tadevic said. "I have always been interested in how important physical appearance is in determining our 'place' in society and with whom we become friends and lovers. Perhaps everyone grows up, discovering how their own looks allow them access to or bar them from entry into certain social groups."
Due to adult content, this show is recommended for mature audiences (ages 18 and older).
"Fat Pig"
March 2-11
Baldwin Theatre
415 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak
www.stagecrafters.org
(248) 541-6430
