GLENS FALLS – “The Whale” is more than a good drama – it’s a genuine tragedy. It is about good people who succumb to their flaws and live lives that are hurtful to themselves and others. The work, which continues at Adirondack Theatre Festival through Saturday, is especially unique in that its central character is physically grotesque and self-destructive in nature. The emotions of the other characters are equally as disturbing.
Indeed, “The Whale” is a work that strains the limits of your empathy – but it is also theater that encourages a non-judgmental attitude towards those who exist on the fringes of society. It’s a play rooted in forgiveness, compassion and understanding.
Charlie, a 600-pound man who is knowingly committing suicide by food. He is a recluse who teaches writing courses online and his goal is to encourage his students to write honestly. This pursuit of honesty is a theme playwright Charles D. Hunter weaves throughout the play. Because Charlie has come to terms with his choices, he is able to be honest in judging the failures of his life and is able to look past the flaws of others to see the person that exists beneath their masks.
His daughter, Ellie, visits her father after years of absence. She is a young woman who consumed by bitterness who expresses her pain through cruel comments intended to hurt others. Chief among her targets is her morbidly obese father who years ago left his wife and daughter to be the lover of man who is now-deceased. Though her words are hurtful her insights are honest and oddly they serve as a device to improve the lives of others.
Charlie realizes he is near death and recognizes his last opportunity for personal redemption is to help his 19 year old daughter. He bribes Ellie to make daily visits to the filthy apartment he calls home and he instructs on how to write honestly. It would be an exaggeration to say father and daughter bond but they do forgive. She forgives him, he forgives himself.
“The Whale” is a disturbing work that is rich in subtext and allegory. The title is an example of the ambiguity that exists in the work. Obviously Charlie’s size is whale-like, and references to Melville’s novel “Moby Dick,” as well as the biblical whale Jonah encountered are important allegories that add a spiritual undercurrent to the material, as does the character Elder Thomas, a Mormon missionary who is persistent in his desire to explain his faith to Charlie.
The play is far from perfect. Some of Hunter’s emotional devices are forced and demand unconditional acceptance from the audience. Structurally, the early scenes are choppy calling for too many interruptions in the form of blackouts and two hours without an intermission (though necessary) is a long playing time.
If the play isn’t perfect the performances are. Timothy Carter is brilliant as Charlie as he paints a portrait of a man who despite his physical appearance is bright, charming and secure in his own skin. It’s demanding role emotionally and physically. It is helped by a fat-suit that is wonderfully designed by Isabel Rubio.
Brenny Rabine plays Liz, Charlie’s only friend, a nurse who the sister of his deceased love who cares for his health. Rabine gives a sensitive performance as a woman who loves a man who has trouble loving himself. Liz is a realist with a strong will and the ability to make a line funny without losing the sensitivity of the moment.
Betsy Hogg is a marvel as Ellie. She’s edgy and mean yet is able to hint that her verbal abuse is a reaction that sometimes even bothers her. How she makes the audience understand this horrid girl is also a victim is magical.
All that needs to be said about Ethan Dubin’s portrayal of the Mormon youth is he makes an unbelievable character believable. It is difficult to accept the facts Elder Thomas reveals but accept we do.
“The Whale” is not a show for everyone. The emotions are difficult to deal with and the distress of the characters is painful. However, under the wise direction of Kristen Van Ginhoven, the emotions are never exploited nor are they soft-pedaled. The director trusts her cast and they deliver with a magnificent production of a very difficult but rewarding play.
“The Whale” at Adirondack Theatre Festival, Glen Street, Glens Falls. Performances 7:30 p.m. nightly through Saturday.
Bob Goepfert is the arts editor for the Troy Record.
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