Having absolutely loved Pangdemonium’s productions last year, I was super excited to check out their latest play Fat Pig, which was their season opener this year.
Also read my previous reviews: Next to Normal Review | Gruesome Playground Injuries Review
Fat Pig revolves around Tom, (Gavin Yap) a polite young man who fell in love with a plus-sized woman, Helen (Frances Lee). And they lived happily ever after? Definitely not in this society.
Helen soon realises Tom is deliberately avoiding chances for her to meet his colleagues, Carter (Zachary Ibrahim) and Jeannie (Elizabeth Lazan). Time after time, Tom pacifies Helen, but the truth is he himself hasn’t got a clue about his own behaviour.
The play starts off in a light-hearted manner, with very unconventional play of humour. Hilariously insulting jokes about “heavyweight champions” were made, and just when you’re about to throw your head back and laugh out loud, a pang of guilt hits you. Your laughs are at the expense of hurting someone else.
It’s a very contradictory feeling – much like when a fierce boss cracks a joke and you’re not sure if you’re allowed to laugh.
Fat Pig depicts some of the greatest fears we all face in our everyday lives – rejection, impassiveness, indecisiveness and public judgement It verbalizes what society never dares voice out, that we are all in fact, victims and contributors to this very judgemental society.
People tend to have a greedy inclination to staying ambiguous in their relationship statuses because they want to “keep their options open”. As much as we don’t want to admit it, there’s this silent sense of entitlement that whispers to you late at night, after a heated argument, that maybe, just maybe, you deserve better.
Thrown into this mess of sticky goo, society, friends and family confuse you further enforcing their ideals on you. At some point, you’d rather not have an opinion, you’d rather not make a choice. But what happens when you deal with people who are confrontational and brutally honest, forcing you to reveal your most vulnerable thoughts?
Find out at Fat Pig.
I heard a considerable amount of sniffles in the audience but for some reason or other, I didn’t feel as emotionally attached to this play. The actors were impressive as usual but the storyline was a little too predictable and the crucial scene felt draggy.
It was somewhat like an unsalvageable relationship that revolves around the same few quarrels and the same few misunderstandings. Both parties try to hold on but deep down inside everyone knows how its going to end.
I must admit I was expecting more at the climax after being awed by the previous Pandemonium productions.
However, this play may appeal to the masses since the storyline is easier to grasp and it’s a narrative very relatable to most of us. I particularly enjoyed the initial scenes for its witty dialogue and verbalisation of public judgement and prejudices people deliberately avoid talking about.
I am still very much looking forward to “The Rise & Fall of Little Voice” and “Frozen” by Pangdemonium! later this year!
Fat Pig Final Rating: 6 / 10
{module Theatre Reviews}
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