Fat Pig – the Guardian asks why

The Guardian’s Michael Billington writes a very positive review for Niel LaBute’s Fat Pig play opening in London this week, but then curiously goes on to suggest that the playwright/director should explain to us how America got to be in the state it’s in.

I cannot fault the acting or the deft economy of Labute’s storytelling. But it would an even better play if it told us why America, founded on the notion of independence, has turned into such a tragically conformist republic.

I suppose it might just be worth putting the question, but it reminds me of the way that chat show presenters feel compelled to ask young celebrity pop stars for their opinion on world politics. In general, the role of an artist is often merely to reflect the world as it is, it takes others to explain it. The trouble with Fat Pig is that Neil LaBute’s world is a harsh and unpleasant place which offers no escape or hope for change, let alone a grounded sense of history.