‘The reality is that we live in an anti-fat society.’ This is from the note in The F Word playbill from co-creators and performers Keshia Cheesman and Bianca Miranda. It captures in its totality what fat people experience each and every day. It’s a space where thinness is revered and considered the beauty standard, and fat people must do everything in their power to not take up space, but preferably, not exist.
It’s an act of complete vulnerability by Cheesman and Miranda to take us on this part sketch show, part comedy show, part story narrative, part musical performance. There is a news piece where two anchors are ‘politically correct’ about the use of the word ‘fat.’ There is a narrative arc about friends Bianca and Keshia losing weight together by going to diet bootcamp together, with a whole sequence on the reality of diet culture and its history. We dive into the performers’ history and struggle by seeing interviews of their siblings, mothers and dance teachers complete with comments about size.
The play is funny, and heartfelt and informative. It pulls the curtain on our assumptions about beauty and health. Some pieces are not as striking as others, for example there is a long piece on fat fetishism that gets a little out of focus. There is a fairy tale that makes its point, but is also a bit on the long side. There are strong criticisms of the society we live in, that we are all a part of. We can feel the emotional pain, the constant messaging about taking up less space, be smaller, and you’ll be beautiful once you lose some weight.
It’s all staged simply, with Cheesman and Miranda as the focus, supported by Andy Moro’s projection design to situate the artists in a newsroom, on the street, or in Vegas and enhances the storytelling with pre-recorded footage or photos. Moro’s set design allows props to be hidden away, with chairs set up to incorporate seamlessly into each piece. Maezy Reign’s lighting design allows the narrative of each piece to be highlighted. All the theatrical designs are thoughtful. It’s a small step to shed light on a very real issue, but even when the performers polled the audience as to whether they should stay on their diet, there was still a hand up for the yes category. Direction by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard is steady and captures the message down to its root.
Hats off to these performers and their abilities to tell their stories in a funny, compelling way.
The F Word is a world premiere, a Downstage production, presented by Alberta Theatre Projects, in association with Handsome Alice & Theatre Calgary. More information can be found online.
Photo Credit: Katy Whitt