THEATER
.............. ¥ ...............
Ill ’m not fat.
My body just retains choco-
| late" is one of the hilarious one-liners
you will hear as you treat yourself to a
night at BroadArts T heatres tasty new
comedy musical Fat & Sassy through Nov. 22
at the downtown YWCA’s newly renovated
Collins Center.
You’ll also hear such unfamiliar tunes as
“Breasts, Butts, Lipo-suck My Open Thighs, "The
Drive-By Diet" and “Let’s Slop Down Some Pop.”
A 20-ycar veteran of progressive, political,
feminist theater, artistic director Melinda E.
Pittman (as Calliope Carzan) uses her own
experience in joining a “popular weight loss
program" to set the stage for her character’s
romp through counting calories and weekly
weigh-ins— busting cultural stereotypes and
uncovering unbelievable factoids along the way.
“Part of our process of creating this musical
play is researching the myths and facts sur
rounding weight and weight issues,” explains
Pittman. “W e’ve discovered and uncovered
startling statistics. For example, many sources
calculate that weight-loss and diet-related
businesses in the U.S. am ount to an over $40
billion-a-year industry, yet 98 percent of diets
fail. W hat other industry in the country can
get away with a failure rate like that and still
be considered legitimate?"
Pittman was one of the founders of Portland’s
Fallen Angels Choir, which delighted audiences
with carols of consumerism, cold and holiday
hypcxirisy during the '80s and '90s. More recent
ly, she wrote and directed 2001’s Wonderbrtxids,
another musical comedy about famous women
throughout history.
Pittman shines during Fat & Sassy —
whether channeling Mae West or a candid Bar
bie anthropologist. Co-stars include Canadian
Fat and queer?
Listen here...
You’ll also find each detail is
attended to in this size-positive
show. The chairs are comfy (“Just
right for the tops and bottoms of
people of substance," notes
Pittman), the intermission snacks
are yummy, and the lobby offers
not only the BroadArts mailing
lust and order forms for the new
Fat & Sassy calendar, but three
journals of fat facts and reference
material for your perusal.
After each performance, the
company invites you to stay for an
informal 15-minute discussion
about “issues of substance."
BroadArts is already working
on next year’s show, The Girls of
Summer, which will be an outdtxsr
musical perfonned at baseball
fields akxit Title IX and women’s
and girls’ access to sports.
But for now, grab your best
friend and go get Fat & Sassy. In
the immortal words of Ms.
Pittman: “Big people are tired of
being blamed for the excesses of
the food and diet industry. It’s
time to sing the praises of our
whole luscious package!" J H
•
B road A rts T heatre presents Fat
& Sassy 7:30 p.m. Friday arid Sat-
BroadArts Theatre asks
who’s getting rich
off America getting fat
by
M arie F leischmann
singer and second-grade teacher Jan Rosenthal
(its Aviva Stein), whose program credits
include singing for Queen Elizabeth; founding
member of Portland’s first comedy improv
group Mollie Hart (as Bonita Chavez); return
ing BroadArts actress and comedian Kim
Dewey (as D.K. Courtney); and the skinny girl,
Laura Faye Smith, whose hilarious depictions
of the annoying weight-loss class instructor, the
agreeable survey participant and a slew of other
characters exhibit impressive versatility.
All the program’s facts were meticulously
compiled by this bevy of beauties. In what
other musical will you learn that 80 percent of
annual food industry ad budgets are focused on
children, while 75 percent of fifth- through
ninth-grade Californians failed the 2001 fit
ness exam? O r the astonishing higher rate of
obesity in lower-income women as compared
to higher-income women, while 34 million
BroadArts T heatre gets Fat & Sassy in a new musical comedy
U.S. citizens live below the poverty level?
urday through Nov. 22 at the
about women of substance, the food industry and fatphobia
YWCA’s Collms Center, III I S.W.
BroadArts hoard member Barb Eichberger,
who was kicked out of the military in 1986 for
ticipation," she shares. “The shows are not created
10th Ave. Tickets are $16-$20 from 503-288-5181.
being gay, says she sees herself in BroadArts per
in a vacuum. Melinda is a grassrcxrts organizer as
formances and learns new things as well. “One of
M arie F leischmann is Editorial Assistant
well as a creative genius. She developed a diverse
the strongest aspects of BioadArts is vision of par
boahJ and has all open dcxirs."
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