How do you know the reason someone is pretty? Perhaps a few things pop into your head; perhaps nothing does. The play Reasons to be Pretty handles a sensitive and controversial topic. The advantages of beauty are the issue; obviously, the heated discussion is ongoing.
At the beginning of Reasons to be Pretty, the audience can’t help but be riveted by the provocative and sensational fight scene. In the scene, the main couple, who loses their reason, exchanges an amount of swearing while throwing their clothing at each other.
The reason the couple has the fight is that Greg, who is a young manual worker, makes a slip of the tongue about the face of his girlfriend, Steph. This, in turn, causes them to break up. That being said, given that both still love each other, they try to make up, but it never works, because of Greg’s inappropriate expressions and Steph’s sensitivity.
- Photo by David Lowes
Another couple in the play is Kent, Greg’s friend and co-worker, and Carly, a security guard at their workplace. Kent, who tends to objectify women, starts two-timing Carly. To make matters worse, Carly gets pregnant and starts sensing that Kent is cheating on her.
The most impressive scene of the play is when Alex Frankson, who plays Kent, explodes with enormous rage after he is beaten up; the acting is excellent.
Each character’s soliloquies speak to the audience about their different philosophies, concerns and feelings about beauty. For instance, Carly, who is full of confidence about her face and body, is not happy with her appearance because most men objectify her when they meet her instead of trying to know who she is.
The brilliant and creative stage technique is another spectacle. The manual workers in the play are working in the factory; at the same time, they are stagehands who change sets smoothly and naturally to the beat of music. The addition of a screen showing movie clips of factory workers is marvellous.
At the end of this coming-of-age play, not only does the audience learn how each character grows and matures, but they also share some of the concerns about appearance that have many meanings in our society.
Reasons to Be Pretty
Until February 23
Phoenix Theatre, UVic
finearts.uvic.ca/theatre/phoenix/tickets/