Fat Pig: A Play

Got this for my sons birthday and he loved it!

I saw this play in the theatre before I read it. And I read it after I saw the play because I am always curious about how stories translate from one medium to another, in this case from the page to the stage. Though, unlike a novel that becomes a movie, a play is written with the intent to stage but a lot of what happens in the theatre involves more than the writing. Actors' interpretation, director's vision, lighting, set design, etc. - all of the colloborative theatrical arts play a role in how I experience a play.So.I wanted to see how the WRITING would stand on its own.I think part of the reason why I give this play three stars is not because Labute didn't deliver on the page necessarily. To be fair, a lot of the shock value of the play's conclusion (as in final scene) was gone. I left the theatre with my mouth hanging open, deeply disturbed on a variety of levels (in that thought-provoking indie-artsy way). So when I read the play, I already knew what was coming and so I was reading less for the story and more for the execution.I think it works. Though I will say, on the page, Fat Pig got a bit tiring when the lovers were not in a scene. The supporting characters' viscious shenanigans begin to wear page after page, like a high pitched siren. It's still kinda tough even when humans are actually speaking these lines,but at least there is something to look at to break the monotony.Would I have given this, say a four or five star rating had I read the play first vs. seeing it? Well, I'll never know. But I'm thinking that what makes the play work is it's shock value. And once you know the "punchline," it doesn't have staying power strictly as writing - though it absolutely does thematically. I could, by contrast, read "Streetcar Named Desire" a million times and still find something juicy to savor each time, even though I know the play's shocking conclusion. Can't say the same thing about READING this play.Now, LaButes's play The Shape of Things - did work for me as a multiple read AFTER I saw the play (as a movie)I would give that one five stars. I think the characters were more fleshed and therefore more engaging.STILL. I love this guy. I mean, you know, his writing. And if you can't see Fat Pig on stage, then YEAH, read it.Gina Greenlee, author of Hush Life , a fiction debut

A great sequel to his excellent play, The Shape of Things.. Mr. LaBute 's dialogue is sharp and liquid. Must read, wish I had seen the play.

A young up-and-coming Yuppie man finds himself falling in love with a woman twice his size. They hit it off big but the man is afraid of what his close friends will think of their relationship if they find out about it.

I didn't like this play as much as I thought I would. I liked the concept, but it seemed like LaBute struggled to make a whole play out of it. I felt bogged down in repetition and wasted time as the characters uttered one unfinished sentence, one unfinished thought, after another. I spent much of my life as one of "the fat girls," and I kind of wish LaBute had done better by us. That said, however, the play does take on an important but touchy subject with considerable honesty.

I had to read this book as a class assignment so I wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea. Once I picked it up I had to see how it ended ! An easy read for sure.

Just reading through it didn't take that long, but I never expected to get so rapped up in a plot so quickly. It was amazing and emotional and the quality of the writing shows in how quickly I became invested in the main characters if in nothing else.

This play was a good read and it accurately portrays how important looks are in today's society. I like all of Labute's plays that I have read thus far!

Delievery wise cannot fault Amazon.However the play itself i felt was lacking something, whilst the principle idea was there, it seemed rushed, i wanted to connect to the characters and i didn't with any of them. I enjoyed the idea behind the story but it needed some fleshing out, i guess that means it adapting wise it has a lot of room for interpretation but overall 'Fat Pig' is a size Zero.

I really enjoyed reading this play. I came away both saddened, but hopeful.It is beautiful and refreshing to see a plus-sized woman in the character of Helen, written as being confident and outgoing, regardless of her physical size.The characters of Carter & Jeannie truly represent our shallow and immature societal views of perceived appearances.Tom clearly displays the ambiguity of confidence in himself to be able to pursue a relationship with Helen. His brutal honesty with both himself and Helen is both worthy of respect, yet incredibly heartbreaking.Once again, Mr. LaBute's talent for the written word and the understanding of the dynamics in a relationship shows us exactly why his work is more than worthy of Broadway.You won't be disappointed.

Sollte jeder gelesen haben. Öffnet einem die Augen. Absolut empfehlenswert und gut verständlich auch wenn man Englisch nicht als Muttersprache hat.