Review: Despite LaBute, REASONS TO BE PRETTY Is Strong

A Neil LaBute play usually feels like a long, drawn out alternate history of one of Neil LaBute's break ups. reasons to be pretty is no exception, taking his usual brand of humor and unlikeable characters in one of his signature tales of self-pity. Director Daniel Eilola knows LaBute is a bit of a bastard, prone to unlovable protagonists and filthy, caustic humor, but he certainly finds a diamond in the rough with reasons to be pretty. Eilola's production has given rise to a rare, enjoyable show that digs at the misogyny inherent in the piece, and raises the humor with his intimate, nuanced performers.

reasons to be pretty is the final imagined trilogy of LaBute's shows focusing on physical appearance, and obsession with it, starting with both The Shape of Things and Fat Pig. reasons to be pretty follows the dissolution of Greg and Steph's relationship around something Greg told a friend at a party. Greg's life, miserable and small, revolves around his interactions with a coworker Kent, Kent's wife Carly, and the deceit, infidelity, and general petty themes you could expect from LaBute.

Director Eilola was smart to contain the show in the Lake Worth Playhouse's black box space, pitting audiences face to face with the characters. Scrutinizing the characters is more dangerous with proximity, something that bursts as the characters build tension throughout, actually managing to evoke sympathy for some of LaBute's characters. That isn't something many directors can do, especially in a show like this, and it may be what turns reasons to be pretty into such an enjoyable show to open his season with.

Playing Greg is no joy, and Moises Reyes makes the misery so sweet. As life goes sour, Reyes exasperation is the sincere heights of the show. His confrontations with Steph and Kent feel true, relatable, in ways that show Reyes knows what he's doing. Kent, played by Danny Distasio, is a threat from his first entrance. In both physical demeanor and delivery, Distasio builds character in shocking ways that make Kent the most unexpected, and dangerous.

The true praise must go to both Megan Pollak and Jessica Scheidt, playing Steph and Carly respectively. When given shallow, two-dimensional characters, they rise to Eilola's challenge. Megan Pollak's Steph, instead of being the typical cold and immovably flat woman LaBute wrote, grows in understandable ways. While her anger issues are shown in the opening scene, the only issues in her character are the ones spoken through other characters. Pollak's Steph is sympathetic, even if she faults. Scheidt plays Kent's wife, Carly, a wife noted only for her attractive appearance. Scheidt goes with the ditzy part for a few scenes before she unfolds into so much more, with her final few scenes being a dreary light of potential hope that somebody escapes the plot with some potential.

A director who can take a script and flip it into something fresh is always a director worth seeing. Eilola is a witty man, taking a script known for its flaws and insisting on doing it his way. In the small space, his cast shines bright with the dark topic matter. Between the chemistry Reyes develops with his cast, alongside Pollak and Scheidt working magic, reasons to be pretty in Lake Worth may be the only production you'll ever need to see.

reasons to be pretty runs from Oct. 20th-30th at the Lake Worth Playhouse's Black Box. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The show contains graphic language and subject matter.

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