Ordinarily, an actor’s physical appearance rarely factors in any critical assessment of his or her work. But in the looks-are-everything context of Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig,” it probably should be noted that Atlanta actor Jacob York hasn’t got the buffest bod in the business.
Not that he’s playing the title role and not that he isn’t handsome or doesn’t wear a suit well, but to see him in his boxer shorts or swimming trunks during certain scenes, he isn’t exactly fit and trim, either.
Whatever ironic twist this adds to the dilemma of York’s character in the play is mostly inferred rather than implied in director Andrew Houchins’ flat Aurora Theatre production. And it’s strangely lost on York, whose thoroughly bland performance may come as a shock to those familiar with some of his previously engaging work (in “Sally and Glen at the Palace,” “Unnecessary Farce,” or notably “Reasons to be Pretty,” another LaBute play).
York is Tom, supposedly a high-powered yuppie who’s caught by surprise when he falls for an overweight librarian, torn between his feelings for her and issues about what other people might think. Through it all, however, the actor seems much too relaxed to be very conflicted. When a smarmy co-worker crashes a dinner date, what should be a crucial moment for Tom is played as a mild distraction.
With so-called friends like these, who needs to be his own worst enemy? Jimi Kocina portrays Carter, that pesky interloper, and Maureen Yasko is Jeannie, Tom’s leggy shrew of an ex. Two more obnoxious characters would be hard to imagine. LaBute tosses both of them an isolated scene to suggest the slightest hint of their humanity, but the one-note performances by Kocina and Yasko fail to take adequate advantage of it.
Notwithstanding the given confines of Aurora’s GGC Lab space, Houchins’ blocking is also problematic. Different scenes outside of Tom’s office (situated upstage on Britt Ramroop’s set) take place on opposite sides of the open area downstage, often resulting in an actor having his or her back to this or that part of the audience for long stretches of time.
The saving grace of the show is the warm and thoughtful work of Jenna Tamisiea as Helen, the heavy-set object of Tom’s muddled affections. Even with her back to you or from a far side of the room, she creates an honest and heartfelt character, initially comfortable in her own body, gradually doubtful of Tom’s behavior and finally desperate to hold on to him. It isn’t her fault that he hardly seems worth it.
Theater review
“Fat Pig”
Grade: C+
Through Feb. 27. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $15. Aurora Theatre, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222. auroratheatre.com.
Bottom line: Jenna Tamisiea’s performance deserves better.
