Finlay Clench
Losing weight is placed under the microscope in this thoughtful one-woman drama by Letícia Rodrigues. Letícia must try and lose 116 grams during the show however she does not manage this and instead the show becomes a discussion on themes far more pertinent. A shining star in the world of international theatre, she commands a drama rich in detail, perhaps a little too rich at points but one which provides some exciting musings on the appearance of the female body. It is theatre, by-and-large which is decidedly in-your-face.
Performing a full workout onstage, and surging through boundaries of exhaustion and sweat, Rodrigues becomes an emblem of female empowerment and works to reclaim the narrative surrounding women’s bodies in a unique, never-seen-before way. Starting with a montage of moving images showing Britney Spears, the production places the focus on traditional figures seen in the media and the need to fit inside those boundaries prescribed by those figures. The wider meaning of this production has been seen before, indeed and the work onstage is sometimes oversimplified. However, the final tone hammers home and rings emotionally throughout the performance space: the woman’s body has been abused and looked down on for too long. And Rodrigues is shameless. She is bold and fearless as she strips fully naked midway through the production and continues her weight-loss saga.
Despite its profound and dark messaging, the show falls behind in its clarity of narrative and the meaning gets diluted by the noise of projections. 116 Grams becomes some kind of ballistic workout game-show in terms of aesthetics which combines with the metaphors underlying surrounding body shame. Sometimes the humour of the projections does not land properly, and drags behind the rest of the production. The graphics and scientific information about weight loss become a little too much to handle and thus the narrative gets lost within what goes on behind the performer. Everything becomes a little random and mystifying, moving between photos and fitness routines.
Further issues come with how the narrative is actually posed. Lots of what happens is a little unintelligible. I was a little lost throughout the production as the star pranced across the stage dressed in ballet wear after having made vomiting sounds. The coherence of ideas sometimes falls short and the production would do better to portray a little less, and let a little less hang onto a satirical kind of irony which taints everything that lands on stage.
The metaphors beneath the production and stark script does pose helpful questions for the audience. Witnessing a goose suspended above the stage, used as a punching bag like a noosed human being, does bring some tear-jerking sections. Simultaneously, moments of the performer almost vomiting onstage, and making sounds of extreme physical exertion are exhilarating and terrifying. What this performer does well is heightening the stakes. The stakes could not be higher. The female body is tested to its limits; scrutinised. All of this occurs, still, while the protagonist stands naked onstage. She is proudly at the mercy of judgement and will take all the punching that people give her.
And these moments provide glimpses of the power this show holds, the stunning messaging that comes with this power. Yet overall, moments of missing clarity detract unnecessarily.
Catch 116 Grams at ZOO Southside Studio until August 30th from 20:20 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Hannah Hamilton
Salvador Kent
Lamesha Ruddock
