Fat Pig: The Opera

This opera is adapted from Neil LaBute’s 2004 play which addresses the social and psychological discrimination against obesity. It is a story that exposes some of the most harmful and vicious social pressure to conform to normative beauty standards and the abhorrent attitudes peddled by some sections of society. The play and the opera are essentially about the practice of fat shaming and the stigma and harm it creates. 

The opera, like the play, is designed to be a rom-com. It is set in contemporary society and sees Tom (Michael Honeyman) struggling to manage his attraction to Helen (Amanda Windred), a bright, funny, and sexy woman who happens to be plus-sized. The reactions of Tom’s co-workers to him dating Helen are particularly disturbing. Carter (Daniel Szesiong Todd) and Jeannie (Belinda Dalton) both reflect the worst of fat shaming behaviour ranging from ridicule to outright harassment and hostility. 

The premise is a good one, but the contemporary context, language and issue are not easily transposed to the opera format. The staging of this production is somewhat clumsy and too literal. The insistence of creating realistic sets for the different locations such as restaurants, office space and a beach result in cumbersome set changes. This affects the pace of the performance. Given the sensitivity of the topic, the amusing aspects are difficult to balance and Carter and Jeannie appear more disturbed than comical.

Honeyman and Windred are able to create a genuine rapport, and this makes the tragedy of the story quite powerful. The singing by all four of the performers is exceptional. The composition is beautiful and captures the vast and extreme range of the emotions in this story. The music is also exquisitely executed by the Forest Collective (Karen Chen, clarinet, bass clarinet, Ryan Lynch, clarinet, bass clarinet, Alexander Meagher, percussion, Zac Johnston, violin, Alex Macdonald, viola, Rosanne Hunt, cello).

This is a brave and admirable adaptation that tests the boundaries of opera, however, the production requires an approach which can more easily facilitate this process. 

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Kate Cameron