Nadine's PLAF Diary for Friday, September 14

Performance: Fatboy (Brat Productions) (no future performances)

I'm exhausted, so it's just as well the festival is over. I know, compared to other diarists, my eight plays were nothing, but it was a lot of theatre in a very short time by my standards. And it ruled. Some of the plays were great, more were so-so. But it felt incredibly good to watch live people performing (as opposed to all those filmed people I see on the TV). Next year, I'm going to see still more!

Fatboy
Fatboy was crude, rude, and thoroughly enjoyable. Over the top, ridiculous, potentially offensive, and very, very funny.

Fatboy and his wife, Fudgie, are sick of being poor (Fatboy eats any money he gets his hands on). So Fatboy goes on a killing and stealing rampage while Fudgie screws their new lodger.

Having killed off some percentage of the earth's population, Fatboy is put on trial by the UN. The red-nosed judge swigs from his flask. Fudgie has sex with the prosecuting attorney.

Fatboy becomes king. Many people kiss his bottom (literally). Queen Fudgie plots to assassinate him. Fatboy comes up with a scheme to kill off everything in the world.

The humor in this play comes from overstatement and wild hyperbole. Fatboy is every power-crazed politician, every money-hungry corporate boss, every ultra-violent thug writ extra large. The play holds up a funhouse mirror to the world. If the world reflected on the stage is exaggerated, it's still familiar. Fatboy is funny because it's kind of true. The world is run by greedy jerks like Fatboy. And when you come to terms with that brutal fact, there's nothing to do but laugh.

One final caution: if you don't like excessive swearing, don't go. About every third word is either F*** or A******.