FATTY FAT FAT, performed by Katie Greenall, explores one woman’s journey of growing up fat and surviving in a world where your body is viewed as wrong, unhealthy and disgusting. Involving a wide range of different theatre techniques, Greenall engages the audience and brings us into her story, enlightening us as to the issues that she and other fat people experience.
Greenall is exceptionally talented and one to watch
Fatphobia is rife in society and while upon first glance you might think it doesn’t exist or it isn’t as bad as racism or homophobia, Greenall shows us how damaging it really is to people who are fat. From spoken word to interpretive dance, from serious to funny, she goes all out to demonstrate her experiences and how they have affected her. One element I find particularly good was how she used music to indicate time – for example, she used the Cha Cha Slide to talk about something that happened when she was seven, since it was released round about that time. The show is very participatory with audience members being called up to experience a game show called The Size is Right, playing a game of Never Have I Ever with crisps rather than alcoholic beverages, and to enact the role of a doctor questioning Greenall about her lifestyle.
The most poignant moments of FATTY FAT FAT were recordings of Greenall talking about various things, but especially the making of the show. How pressurising it felt that she had to be 100% happy in her body to be able to do the show, rather than on a process towards that. The importance of reclaiming the word fat and showing others it’s not an insult or a bad word. In the final monologue she says how she wants to be beautiful because she’s fat, not in spite of it, which was very powerful.
FATTY FAT FAT is everything you want from a piece of theatre – relatable, funny, serious and teaches you a lot about someone else’s life. Greenall is exceptionally talented and one to watch in the theatre world, as I have never seen a show that so effortlessly combines comedy, spoken word, physical theatre and more. You will enjoy this show whether you’re fat or not.
