(photo credit: Arienne Davey)
The Hole in the Wall Theater (HITW) in New Britain will present Fat Men in Skirts by Nicky Silver as the next production of its 2014-2015 season. Performances run on March 27, 28, April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18 at HITW on 116 Main Street in New Britain, CT. Tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $15.00 (students and seniors). They can be purchased at the door and online at www.hitw.org. The March 3rd show will be our Pay What You Can performance. Fat Men in Skirts is under the direction of Scott Stephen Kegler (Willimantic).
HITW is offering a reduced ticket price of $12.00 for the March 27th opening night performance. This special offer keeps with HITW’s tradition of making theater available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. We encourage our patrons to bring a friend and enjoy a great night of theater.
Mr. Kegler describes the show as “a love story that is riddled with the failures of human frailty. Each character is desperate for validation from the audience, and to believe that their story is worth our time. That the failures of each character are not owned solely by the individual. And yes, there is cannibalism and incest. That old chestnut.”
Fat Men evolves into a ludicrous but touching love story, and reflection on human nature. Each act is done in an entirely different theatrical style. Absurd, then farce, and then finally a court room drama. Bishop (Any Age), a young boy who grows into a feral man with a taste for human flesh. His relationship with his mother is Oedipal and his cannibalism is reflective his difficulties understanding his life.After their plane crashes, Phyllis (Jennifer MacPherson of Coventry), and her son, Bishop (James DeMarco of New Britain), are stranded on a desert island for five years. At home, we see Howard (Roy Donnelly of Farmington), Phyllis’ husband and a famous movie director, continuing life with his somewhat loopy, ex-porn-star mistress, Pam (Stephanie Layne of New Britain). Pam moves in with Howard and becomes pregnant. The play only gets stranger from here.
“(Bishop) starts off a maladjusted, shy, Katherine Hepburn obsessed boy and grows into a violent, unpredictable and savage teenager,” said James. He and his fellow actors look for and develop small moments of tenderness and humor to make these outlandish characters and scenarios more relatable to the audience.
“The shock and the humor of this show is important to help sugar coat the social commentary of the play,” said Scott. “You have devastating violence, followed by slapstick, that is sealed with beautiful incites on family and relationships….. The show is shocking, but it is not for “shock value”. The unfortunate thing is that it is usually voted down by theaters as a project because of the language, sexuality, and violence. The amusing thing is this play is so touching and beautiful. I sometimes cannot handle it.”