At any given time, somewhere on TV, an ordinary-looking person is getting a fabulous makeover. Within 30 minutes, ho-hum becomes va-va-voom. But is the finished product a work of art?
Sure it is. It’s not the kind of art you’d hang on the wall and gaze upon, but some artistic vision is required to style the clothes, hair and makeup in a flattering way.
In “The Shape of Things” by Neil LaBute, staged by the St. Louis Actors’ Studio, art student Evelyn (Shanara Gabrielle) takes on an extreme makeover of her own. And a boyfriend.
When she meets Adam (Billy Kelly), he’s frumpy and overweight — a perfect subject for TV’s “What Not to Wear.” The two meet at the university’s museum, where Adam is a security guard, and Evelyn is poised to deface a statue.
Before we know it, Adam gets new clothes, a new ’do, a nose job and Evelyn’s initials tattooed in a very private spot. Evelyn has transformed Adam into quite a piece of work, it seems.
Parts of the plot are reminiscent of any number of ’90s teen movies.
You know the kind — where the jock wagers that he can transform the outcast into a prom queen, or where the popular girls take on the challenge of making over a frumpy new girl.
But all that aside, LaBute’s story takes some intriguing turns and makes us ponder the meanings of art and love. Especially when Evelyn creates a rift between Adam and his friends Jenny (Ann Ashby) and Phillip (Christian Vieira). How much change for a significant other is acceptable?
The show covers a period of 18 weeks — a fact revealed in a bit of dialogue that was omitted on opening night — and some of the leaps in time and the progression of Adam and Evelyn’s relationship are unrealistic. Well into their time together, Adam is shocked to notice cuts on Evelyn’s wrists. And he all-too-easily agrees to let her film them having sex.
The actors are all fine, though director Alec Wild makes some odd choices in staging that seemed to work against them. Several scenes take place far from the audience or with actors facing away from us.
Scott C. Neale’s set, the interior of an art museum, is clean and modern. Unfortunately, it isn’t used to its full potential. Every scene feels as though it takes place in a museum — which, if you consider Adam a sort of art project, makes some sense. But it’s distracting, given the variety of places we’re taken. The overhead track lighting, a clear visual cue that tells us we’re in a museum, is used in every scene.
The story and set present many opportunities for lighting to help set the scenes and tell the story. Unfortunately, none are taken, and we’re left to do a lot of work on our own.
By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 02.22.10
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