Is “Fat Pig” Funny? We’ll see
Fat Pig at Trafalgar Studios
Fat Pig is the title of a new comedy play at Trafalgar Studios by Neil LaBute and starring at least two great TV comedy actors. Robert Webb from hit comedy duo Mitchell and Webb ( Jeremy from “PEEP SHOW” ) plays the male lead against Ella Smith (Phoebe from ITV’s “Sold”) and then you also get Kris Marshall (Nick Harper from My Family) making that two characters from Sold, and Joanna Page from Gavin and Stacey.
So a bit of a comedy supergroup then, but what about the storyline? Well you can get a clue from the title “Fat pig”, which seems designed to raise worries about the nature of the comedy:
“Helen is a bright, funny, sexy young woman who happens to be plus-sized – and then some – so it’s only so long before the jokes start to fly from Tom’s office buddies.
- A funny, searing and ultimately touching love story.”
I just hope the subject is handled as well as promised, we’re going to see a preview tomorrow night. Yay !
So, reviews to come later then.
PS. Kris Marshall ( well known from currents BT ads on TV) received head injuries in a serious car accident last month and decided to go ahead with the show anyway which is a sign of great courage and dedication, or something!
I went to see this with three friends last night, not really having looked into the reviews but looking at the cast I thought it would be good anyway.
Nice theatre, very close to the audience but then it started and they are all speaking with American accents, now I know it’s an American play but what’s the point in very well known UK actors doing bad American accents, I really couldn’t get past that…and I did try, Joanna Page has such a great accent it was a real disappointment when she didn’t use it (well it did pop in and out occasionally).
The second half was really slow and the ending was a real let down…but i won’t spoil it.
This comes up in every discussion, (see fat pig review) and there are several other plays on in the West End which are set in the US and require the local audience to listen to bad accents. I went to see an Australian play last night and do you know what? They didn’t try to make the English actors work with Australian accents at all, it was set in England. So it can be done unless the plot really necessitates it, which Fat Pig doesn’t.