BWW Reviews: ATG's SIZE MATTERS at Hamilton Stage, Insightful and Humorous

Two thirds of all American adults are overweight. Yet when it comes to acceptance of fat folks, we still judge a book by its corpulent cover. Nowhere is this sort of stereotyping more common than in the entertainment industry, where 'size matters.' That's also the title of a funny and touching new play starring Raymond McAnally, now making its East Coast premiere at American Theater Group at Hamilton Stage.

SIZE MATTERS is a biographical one-man show that not only stars McAnally, but was written by him as well. He shares the bare stage with a chair and a projection screen - which provides occasional glimpses into the McAnally family photo album. As size goes, McAnally is more 'Sears catalog husky' than 'morbidly obese' - at least as he currently appears on the Rahway stage. This also isn't an 'issues' play that takes society to task for its narrow views of overweight people. That doesn't mean McAnally doesn't humorously relate some of the challenges of wearing a size 54 suit in a world designed for a 40 regular. His expert pantomime of the awkward discomfort of air travel for the portly guy is spot on funny. He also skillfully takes us to an all-male gathering where the fellas talk about fashion for the fuller frame just as plus-sized gals might do.

Before our very eyes the talented actor adeptly transforms into various people in his life: his nattily dressed dad, his adoring wife Whitney, and - most importantly - his chatterbox nephew Morgan. It is through Morgan that McAnally sees himself clearest. In fact, the two even share a family resemblance. He lovingly confides in us that Morgan looks like the chubby kid in the movie UP. In the show's tour de force centerpiece, Uncle Ray plays Auntie Mame (figuratively) when Morgan visits him in the Big Apple, taking him on a tour of Lower Manhattan that naturally includes a couple of Greenwich Village's most famous pizzerias. Sometimes the insights provided by motor-mouthed Morgan feel more like the author's voice, but as the play goes on it becomes increasingly apparent that Morgan is simply the big kid trapped inside grown-up McAnally.

The play's central question is also posed by Morgan. When he learns his uncle is slimming down because he is engaged to be married, he asks him if that means "You don't love you as much as Aunt Whitney loves you?" It's a thought provoking idea that resurfaces later on, but playwright McAnally never quite tackles the question head on. Perhaps the thirty-something actor is still struggling with it in real-life? His wife says she loves him for him. So why can't he see himself as she does? With Morgan's help he eventually discovers that 'the struggle is all' - that although he may never be cast as the leading man - dealing day-to-day with his weight (with some professional help) is the main thing.

This is the author's first full-length play and it clocks in at a slim 65 minutes. It is presented without a credited director, someone who might supply 'some professional help' to finesse the play's immense potential. As is stands, SIZE MATTERS is a wonderful showcase for Ray McAnally - a talented stage performer engaged in a very human offstage struggle. In the future - when McAnally is the next John Goodman or Kevin James (and he certainly has that potential) - I look forward to catching the show again as the highlight of what will certainly be a career of considerable size. And in show business, size matters.

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Michael T. Mooney (reviewer) wears a size 60 suit. In 2002 he staged the American premiere of Sir Alan Ayckbourn's BODY LANGUAGE, a dark comedy about body image. A lifetime member of Weight Watchers, he continues to deal daily with issues of being overweight in a world where size still matters.

Performances of SIZE MATTERS continue through November 23 at Hamilton Stage, 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway, New Jersey. For tickets or further information visit www.ucpac.org or call 732-499-8226. For more about the playwright and star visit www.raymondmcanally.com.

Photo Credit: Ryan Kurtz