Cruel dialogue in Neil LaBute play
observational limits to empathize with his protagonist.
The rising young executive Tom falls in love with is a warm and witty librarian named Helen who happens to be conspicuously overweight. Tom doesn’t introduce her to his co-workers until one accidentally stumbles upon him dining with her.
“He lies to the people he works with until he can’t lie anymore,” Kierst said.
Of course, Tom’s colleague taunts him and tells everyone else in the office.
“LaBute’s dialogue is so cruel,” Kierst said. “I read somewhere that one of the characters is male arrogance incarnate. He sees fat people as this lower life form.”
Eventually, Helen joins Tom for a company beach picnic.
“She arrives in a swimsuit and so does another (svelte) woman he used to date,” Kierst said. “LaBute’s humor is so biting. We’re laughing despite ourselves. It’s so hard to watch it, but you can’t help it. Of course, you realize how horrible it all is. You realize ‘I’ve thought those things.’”
Tom is torn by his feelings for Helen versus his desperate need for the approval of his peers. But the office culture invades their coupling.
“In a LaBute play, you can’t really have a happy ending,” Kierst added.
Scott Bryant (“It’s a Wonderful Life,” “As You Like It”) plays Tom, while Jen Stephenson (“Raised by Humans”) plays Helen.
“She’s actually an ex-student of mine from Albuquerque High School,” Kierst said. “She’s been heavy ever since I’ve known her. I think it’s been a long, hard struggle for her to accept who she is. I hear her all the time at rehearsals saying, ‘I’ve felt those feelings.’”